The Ghost of Yami Atem
by Atem no koibito
Summary: When eight year old Yugi Moto moves into an old house that is said to be haunted for years, he didn't want to believe the tale because he was always told by his Grandpa that, "Ghosts don't exist." So, what happens when he comes face-to-face with one? AU
1. Chapter 1

**Hey! Remember this fic? Yeah, I do too. I realised that this story has been completed for over a year now, and since I'm slowly returning my stories to fanfiction, I'm taking a chance with this one. This is my top story that used to have 200 plus reviews, so I hope I can get that again. Ten reviews per chapter? And this story is complete too so depending on the reviews I'll update five times a week or so because, hey, that's what I did the first time. :)**

 **Okay, so the plot is from a Bollywood movie that is called Bhoothnath which was my inspiration. I was inspired to write a Yu-Gi-Oh version out of it. Don't hate me for that… Anyways, hope you enjoy this. I have high hopes on it.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

The Ghost of Yami Atem

Chapter 1

* * *

"Grandpa, are we there yet?" the soft voice of an eight year old child in the backseat asked for the fifth time that hour.

"Yugi, be patient. We'll be there soon, okay?" Grandpa told him, and Yugi watched as his Grandpa's eyes went back to the road. Yugi pouted for being ignored and he stared out the window impatiently, his tri-colored hair hiding most of the glass which forced his Grandpa to look at through the other window. His amethyst eyes were slipping shut, but he tried to stay awake since they were almost to their new home. He blinked tiredly, completely exhausted from the entire day of travelling.

"Do you want to sleep?" Grandpa then asked and Yugi instantly nodded before leaning his head on his Grandpa's shoulder.

"Where are you heading?" the taxi driver asked.

"We're going to the mansion down Eden Street," Grandpa informed the driver. Yugi listened halfheartedly as he felt his Grandpa straighten his head from slanting too much. Through his half lidded eyes he watched the driver widen his eyes.

"Really?" the driver exclaimed. "You have got to be joking?!"

Squeezing his eyes tighter, Yugi tried to make himself go to sleep, but he knew with his Grandpa and the driver talking he wasn't going to get that nap. He heard his Grandpa sigh.

"Why would I joke about something like that? I am not joking."

The driver gave a loud sigh of his own at the response and then leaned back into his seat. After a while of silence he spoke. "You do know that place is haunted, right?"

Yugi's eyes snapped open as he listened to the driver. He was no longer tired, just absolutely curious now.

"Yes," Grandpa admitted with a hint of annoyance. "I've heard of those rumors, but they're silly. I don't believe in them one bit. Ghosts don't haunt that place."

"If you say so," the driver said, shrugging as he turned down the old, unused street.

Yugi then sat up, leaning forward as he held on to the top of the driver's seat.

"Yugi, sit down," Grandpa ordered, but Yugi ignored him and instead looked at the driver.

"Is the house really haunted mister?" he asked, his curiosity too big to control.

The driver gave him a quick look before speaking. "Yes, it is. It has been haunted for the past four years, you know."

Yugi silently urged the driver to continue using the expression on his face.

"Stop telling him that nonsense. You're going to scare him!" Grandpa exclaimed angrily.

The driver blatantly ignored Grandpa and continued to speak. "The ghost is a boy, just in his teens. No one has ever seen him, but rumors says that he has red eyes."

Yugi stared at the man with wide eyes, curious and yet excited at the newfound information he was being told. He was always told that ghosts did not exist, so hearing it from this man made it almost impossible to believe.

"But the people who lived here long ago has their suspicions as to who the ghost may be," the driver continued. "A lot of people actually." Yugi listened with his ears opened wide and his imagination running wild with what the ghost could look like.

"The owners of the mansion were the Atem family. Somehow, one of the sons died in there when he was around sixteen or seventeen, if I remember clearly. However, people has their doubts too because the son had amethyst eyes just like yours and the same hairstyle, but with more blond spikes going upwards."

Yugi stared at the driver in awe, completely blown away by what he was being told. "Really, mister, I look just like the ghost?"

"Yes, so alike in fact that maybe when you see him he'll pity you and let you live," the driver said matter-of-factly.

"Okay, that's enough!" Grandpa yelled, grabbing Yugi and pulling him back into his seat. "No more stories!"

"We might as well let him know the truth," the driver said scowling.

"Just, drive," Grandpa huffed. The driver said nothing more and he just stared out at the bumpy road, arms turning ever so slightly as he drove.

Yugi settled back down next to his Grandpa even though his heart continued to pound rapidly with excitement. He looked back out the window while his mind ran wild with the supernatural information about the house. He couldn't wait to get there and see if it was true. But, it couldn't be. His Grandpa seemed to be sure that ghosts didn't exist.

* * *

Almost twenty minutes later a huge house loomed up in front of them. The big, iron gates were closed tightly as if it was trying to keep something in, and keep them out. Yugi stared, amazed.

It had a huge lawn and the door was a mahogany colour with a large handle. Stepping out of the car a harsh, cold wind smacked into him that caused a tornado of red, yellow, and orange leaves to fly about. Cobwebs hung in every corner and dust mixed with the autumn leaves were scattered everywhere. The big windows at the front of the house looked dirty and in a desperate need for repair and cleaning. All the uncleanliness, scary cobwebs, and the eerie sound of the house made it look very haunted.

"Wow," Yugi said in awe with his mouth hanging open, his eyes as big as saucers.

"It's great, isn't it?" his Grandpa exclaimed excitedly as he stepped out of the taxi. Yugi turned around and nodded his head with a smile plastered on his face.

"Bye mister!" Yugi then yelled as the car pulled away as soon as Grandpa slammed the trunk shut.

Grandpa just looked at the suitcases that the driver dropped on the ground and then towards the taxi that sped away. Yugi laughed as his Grandpa frowned and shook his head.

"Weird man," Grandpa mumbled to himself as he picked up their luggage and went up the short flight of stairs to open the door.

The doors creaked as they slowly opened, the inside of the house feeling very hollow and empty. All of Yugi's excitement faded away as he felt the spookiness of the house creep into his bones. Feeling nervous he hid behind his Grandpa, looking into the darkness of the house as shadows danced across the walls and covered furniture. Suddenly, the stairs which were located somewhere in the house creaked and Yugi's heart skipped a beat. The sound made it feel as if someone was walking upon them. Yugi gripped his Grandpa's pant leg.

"Yugi, it's okay. Nothing is wrong, see," Grandpa explained, smiling at him. Yugi watched as his Grandpa flipped the switch on to show him that nothing was wrong. Seeing the mansion come to life as it lit up, Yugi's curiosity returned and he came out from behind his Grandpa and stepped further inside, less afraid of the interior.

Inside, the structure was equally as messy as the outside. There were cobwebs hanging all over the place, the floor was full of leaves that came in from a broken window, and everything had mounds of dust on them. Grandpa groaned in displeasure. "This place needs a lot of cleaning before I can feel a little comfortable."

Yugi nodded his head in agreement. "It's really messy, huh Grandpa?" he asked, staring at what was no doubt the stairs. A grand staircase, to be exact, that was in the middle of the whole ground floor, splitting the room into two areas.

"Yes Yugi, it is. I have no idea how I'm going to get this place cleaned up."

"I can help," Yugi offered, looking at his Grandpa.

"Nope, you have school tomorrow," he reminded, waving a finger at Yugi.

Yugi pouted as his first plan to stay home failed. Guess now he'll just have to whine and complain until he got his way.

"Aww, why not?" Yugi complained, following him around as Grandpa checked out the kitchen and the living room.

"Because, it's a new school and it's better to get you settled in quickly," he explained firmly and a bit distractedly, not looking at Yugi.

"Pleeeease," Yugi whined, following his Grandpa as they made their way back to their luggage that was still at the front door.

"No," Grandpa stated. "Now, why don't you go upstairs and get settled into your room, okay," he suggested, smiling as he ruffled Yugi's hair.

Yugi smiled wearily as he sighed, finally giving up. "Okay."

"Hey! What do you think you're doing here?" Grandpa suddenly yelled out. Yugi looked behind him to where Grandpa marched over to the doorway and saw someone standing next to it.

The man in front of the door looked at the two of them with worry in his eyes. Yugi looked on, noticing the man's poor condition. Was he homeless? But, what was he doing in their home? The gates were locked, weren't they?

"Sir, I've been sleeping in front of this door and treated this place as my home for a long time. You are very brave to come here since no one else is brave enough to do so. Please, let me continue to stay here. I can protect you from the ghost since it never bothered me while I stayed," the man explained hurriedly, and took a step back when he saw Grandpa marching towards him.

Grandpa slowly reached for the broom that was behind the door, and with one cry he started to chase the man around with it.

"Get out! Get out you crazy person! First you break into my house and then you speak nonsense?! Ghosts don't exist, so why don't you just take a hike?!" Grandpa yelled. The man yelped as he ran into the house to dodge the armed man, running around the sofas and tables trying to get away from the furious Grandpa. Yugi giggled at the sight.

"Sir, please, I'm begging you. I'm sorry. It's just that I really need money and a place to stay. I would do anything, just please, don't hit me anymore. It really hurts..."

Grandpa stopped and stared at the man who was now cowering behind the covered couch. He continued to stare for a moment more only to finally put the broom down to his side.

"What's your name?" Grandpa asked, raising an eyebrow.

"My name is Randy, sir," the man said quickly.

Grandpa thought for a moment before he came to a conclusion. "Okay, you'll get forty dollars every day depending on how much you help me, got it?" Grandpa stated firmly, pointing at the man before him who then broke out into a wide grin.

"Yes sir, thank you sir," Randy said happily.

"Okay, now go and start sweeping the leaves off the stairs outside," Grandpa ordered, throwing the broom towards him.

Randy fumbled with it until he finally got a grip and held it tightly. Running out, Grandpa's voice stopped him in his tracks and he braced himself, fearing another beating from the old man.

"And don't call me, sir."

"Yes sir, err, sorry sir. I'm going to go now, sir. I'll just go," Randy said, very much relieved before he slipped outside with embarrassment on his face.

Yugi laid at the bottom of the stairs, rolling on the ground in laughter by all that had just transpired in the short moment. Grandpa tried to stifle his laughs, but it proved to be very hard to contain them since Yugi's unrelenting laughter began to be contagious. Finally, he burst out laughing as well, moving forward to shoo Yugi to get his unpacking done.

While they were laughing downstairs though, no one saw the red eyes that watched them cautiously from upstairs, the owner hidden well within the shadows of the mansion.

* * *

 **There's chapter one! Hope you all liked it. I had fun rereading this. xD**

 **Please review! I shall update again depending on reviews.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you all for the wonderful follows, favourites and reviews! In one day I got so much love! Seriously, I'm glad to see that so many of you are favouriting and following, but c'mon! I want to see some more reviews! Remember last chapter I said that I HAVE THE ENTIRE STORY WRITTEN OUT? It's true. I will update as many times, twice a day even, depending on the amount of REVIEWS that I get. I kept my promise. I said last chapter that I will update once I receive ten reviews, but I got eleven followers instead. To show my joy, I updated anyways. But please. Can you all review? Reviews always make an author super happy no matter what. :)**

 **Truly, I love you guys no matter what, and I hope you all love the rest of the story.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

The Ghost of Yami Atem

Chapter 2

* * *

Night finally consumed the sky, and it wasn't long after nightfall when everyone went to bed, sleeping soundly. The mansion was eerily quiet, not a thing being heard throughout the home. Furniture's were still covered with the white cloth that kept them dust free, and everything else was filled with the same dust, leaves, and webs. And while the night owl gave a long hoot, upstairs in a medium sized room a little boy laid on his bed, staring at the ceiling just blinking, and waiting.

After a while of not hearing anything, Yugi quietly got up only to flinch and freeze momentarily when the bed creaked. Crawling out of bed he shoved the covers away and gently placed his bare feet on the ground and on to the cold floor. Tiptoeing to his bedroom door, he quietly slipped out, first making sure that his grandpa was asleep.

In his PJ's, Yugi made his way carefully down the staircase. His eyes looked around cautiously as he walked towards the kitchen. Entering and flipping the light switch on, he sighed deeply as he stared up at the top door of the fridge.

"Curse my shortness," Yugi said to himself, groaning as he dragged the chair towards the fridge and placed it directly in front of the fridge. Climbing up, he opened the freezer, pulling out the double chocolate ice-cream that was in there.

He smiled happily as hopped off the chair and grabbed a spoon and a little, glass bowl before sitting down on the kitchen table. Carefully he peeled the cover of the ice-cream back and began to put the ice-cream into the bowl.

"Oh, so good," Yugi moaned, sitting on another chair at the table as he enjoyed the cold taste, putting spoon after spoon in his mouth.

A few minutes later he finally finished. Licking the bowl clean he turned around to put the empty bowl back in the sink, only to suddenly stop in his tracks when he heard a slow creak of the floor, the sound coming from the living room. Ignoring the little warning voice at the back of his head, he allowed his curiosity to take over. He walked into the living room and looked around the dimly lit area. As soon as he stepped in though, he felt a cold breeze surrounding the room. Looking around frantically with his eyes wide open and the bowl still clutched tightly in his hand, he shrugged when he saw nothing. Turning around, he made his way back into the kitchen only to stop once more.

The creak was heard again, along with the 'clinking' sound of the chandelier that hung above the living room.

"W-who's there?" Yugi called out, his eyes wide as he spun around to look, taking small steps until he reached the covered couches. Seeing nothing once again, he gulped nervously. Things were starting to get freaky and he certainly didn't want to stay downstairs alone any longer. Making up his mind, he decided to quickly get back to his room after he put the bowl away.

Turning around to head back into the kitchen, he froze and dropped the bowl in shock which resulted in a loud **clank** on the floor. He gave a sigh of relief as it was only his own shadow that made his imagination run wild.

Grinning to himself for thinking so foolishly, he bent down to pick up the bowl only to have the bowl roll away from him. Thinking it was just the wind, Yugi stared at the bowl and just shrugged the odd occurrence off. Bending down once again, the bowl rolled away, again.

Yugi stopped and just stood, staring at the bowl that laid next to the staircase. He glared at it before he sighed and went for it again, first making sure no one was pulling a prank on him. He walked up to it and reached for it, and just when he was just about to collect it he noticed a pair of worn out shoes right in front of him. Freezing, he cautiously looked up and yelped in surprise, staring at the figure that stood in front of him.

Staring down at him he saw ghostly arms crossed, and red eyes that pierced his own. The person's skin was extremely pale, and familiar tri-coloured hair was wild and messy with golden blond spikes of hair shooting upwards. A bleeding scar was on the person's forehead that seemed to have not been cleaned and was left dirty with dry blood staining it. Fingernails were long and disheveled, and the black, sleeveless top he wore was tattered, a rip at the side as the two arm bands on his arm and wrist looked old and worn. He wore jeans that at one point used to be black, but now it just looked old with rips and holes on it.

Yugi was at lost for words. He then snapped out of it when he heard footsteps padding down the stairs.

"Yugi? Yugi what are you doing down here?!" Grandpa yelled, running down the stairs. Not looking back Yugi ran up to him.

"Grandpa, I saw him! He was here!" Yugi exclaimed.

Grandpa sighed, tightening the robe that was wrapped around him. "Saw who?" he asked, looking around.

"The ghost! He's here!" Yugi exclaimed frenziedly, pointing towards the fallen bowl on the ground.

Grandpa sighed and rubbed his temples with both hands. "Yugi, what are you pointing at?" he asked, looking back up to give Yugi a curious look.

"The ice-cream bowl! I was going to get-"

"Ice-cream?!" Grandpa exclaimed, the shock turning into a serious look as he stared at Yugi. "What did I tell you about ice-cream? You had enough of it today," he scolded, stepping down the last bit of stairs to grab Yugi's arm.

"Grandpa, I'm serious! I did see him!" Yugi pleaded. "Look!" he pointed again, pulling his grandpa towards where he saw the ghost.

Grandpa looked at where Yugi was pointing, then turned back to give his grandson an annoyed look.

"There's nothing there," he stated bluntly.

Yugi's eyes widened. "Yes, there is!" he cried, then turned around to see for himself only to have his mouth drop open form shock and utter confusion.

There was nothing. No bowl. No ghost.

"B-but, but there was..." he stammered and then trailed off, looking stunned at the place where the bowl was supposed to be.

Grandpa sighed out of fatigue. "C'mon Yugi. Time for you to go back to bed," he said slowly, taking Yugi's hand again and leading him back to his room.

"But Grandpaaaa!" Yugi whined, stepping up the stairs but still keeping an eye on the spot where the bowl, and the ghost was supposed to be.

"No _buts_ ," Grandpa warned, and continued to drag the resisting boy back to bed.

Yugi groaned and allowed his grandpa to pull him back to his room, all the while shooting an accusing gaze towards the place where he say the ghost.

* * *

The door creaked open as the tri-coloured head peeked out of his bedroom door.

"I'll show him," he promised himself determined, before creeping out and down the stairs as quietly as he could.

He made his way back down the stairs as he got to the bottom, looking at the place where he last saw the bowl. And to his surprise, he sees the bowl just where he left it and said it was. Only thing, the ghost was nowhere to be found.

"I knew I wasn't crazy!" he yelled, whispering at the same time, and quickly he ran and picked up the bowl.

"I know what I saw, and I'm going to prove it," he says firmly. "But first, I'm hungry..." Blinking he looked up at the closed door of his grandpa's room, then to the refrigerator that was seen in the kitchen. A smile broke out on his face and he happily skipped into the kitchen with one goal on his mind.

* * *

 **And that's a wrap! I hope you all enjoyed! Yugi hugs for you all because you're awesome! And please review! As soon as I hit at least eight reviews for this chapter, I'll update no matter what.**

 **Later!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey! Here's the third chapter! I want to give a big thanks to all my wonderful reviewers, followers, and those who favourited! Seriously, all of the kind words warms my heart and makes me feel so happy. I fangirled all over the place. xD**

 **Anyways, like I promised, here's the third chapter! I updated as fast as I could as soon as we passed the eleven reviews, so I hope you all are eager to read chapter four. You all know what to do at the end of the chapter to get another fast update.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

The Ghost of Yami Atem

Chapter 3

* * *

Grandpa yawned as he made his way down the stairs to start the daily ritual of getting Yugi ready for school. Stepping into the living room, he stopped mid-stretch when he noticed a little foot hanging off the top of the couch. He went around the chair to see who was there, and wasn't at all surprised when he saw the child sleeping on the couch.

Yugi.

Yugi was sleeping on the couch, his arms and legs sprawled in all directions. Bending down when he spotted something on the floor, Grandpa retrieved the bowl with signs on dark brown layering the edges.

"Ice-cream..." he trailed off, rolling his eyes and smiling.

He shook Yugi to wake him up, and Yugi in turn mumbled incoherently as his eyes slowly opened. Groggy as he sat up, he looked around, finally remembering where he was, and stilling when he saw who was standing in front of him.

"Good morning Grandpa," he said with a cheeky smile on his face. Grandpa grabbed his arm and he lifted the boy off the chair.

"Again with the ice-cream, Yugi?" he asked, showing Yugi the bowl.

Yugi stared at it, then hurriedly got up. "Oh, would you look at the time, I guess I gotta get ready to go to school… Bye!" he quickly said, and he rushed away from Grandpa and ran up the stairs to get dressed.

Grandpa shook his head as he watched the boy scurry up the oak stairs before heading into the kitchen to get started on breakfast.

Half an hour later Yugi sat at the table and was finishing up his breakfast. Leaving his plate, he hopped off the chair and grabbed his lunch bag that was laying on the table, and took his backpack from the chair and put it on. Getting everything, he waved a goodbye to Grandpa as he walked out the door. Yugi's school wasn't quite far, so Grandpa didn't have to worry about him getting there safely since a lot of other kids passed by to go to the same school.

As Yugi disappeared from sight and mingled with the other students as he walked, Grandpa turned to go back inside only to come face-to-face with Randy who was staring at him. Surprised, Grandpa jumped back in fright.

"Hey, start sweeping this place again, there's leaves here," he said quickly after regaining his cool before going back into the house to start cleaning, leaving Randy to do his job.

As the door closed in behind Grandpa, Randy started his sweeping.

After a while, Randy finished, and he stood back and smiled to himself at the job well done. But, as he turned around to head back inside to announce his completed chore, he stopped suddenly when he saw that the porch was covered with leaves once again.

"Must have been the wind," he groaned softly to himself, and disheartened he started his cleaning all over again.

As he swept, Randy noticed something that made his skin tingle with fear. As he was sweeping, the leaves weren't moving. They were floating into the air before slowly falling back down. He stared, shocked by what he saw. Shaking his head and blinking furiously, he moved his broom again, and the same thing happened. He began to sweep wildly, and he stared in horror as the leaves flew around with him as well! He then stopped abruptly, freezing, and just stared at the leaves. The leaves too froze in midair, and then fell back to the ground as if they had never moved at all. Just as Randy started to sweep again, the leaves flew up once more, but this time they formed words. It was a word, to be exact, that proceeded to scare the living hell out of him.

 **BOO**.

Randy screamed bloody murder and dashed inside the house, freaking out as he screamed, "Ghosts! Ghosts!"

Inside the house though Grandpa was unpacking things from boxes that were scattered all across the living room. He reached down and pulled out an antique vase and carefully proceeded to set it on a small stand next to the couch. As he stood back and admired it, wondering if it looks good there or not, he was scared once more when Randy ran into the house screaming his head off.

"S-s-sir! G-g-ghost!" Randy yelled, rushing in and heading straight towards Grandpa, and the vase.

"Hey! Watch out!" Grandpa exclaimed, moving in front of the panicked man to separate him from his priceless case.

Randy was still running straight towards him and didn't stop. Instead, he slipped and slid on the floor, sliding straight towards the stand where the vase rested.

Grandpa jumped out of the way, watching as Randy barely stopped in time, touching the stand which caused it to shake. Randy stared in fear, and Grandpa did the same. They watched the wobbling vase in suspense, neither wanting it to fall.

Then, to their relief, the vase stopped.

Grandpa and Randy sighed deeply, finally able to let out a breath.

Then unknown to them, a small, ghostly finger moved sideways, directing it towards the vase. With that movement, the vase tipped sideways and fell to the ground, shattering into a million tiny pieces.

Grandpa and Randy stared at the broken vase, their relief replaced with a dumbfounded look. Randy dared to take a look at Grandpa, and frowned instantly when he saw the furious look directed towards him.

"GET OUT!" Grandpa yelled, scaring Randy who then started to run around the living room as Grandpa grabbed a broom and chased him out of the house.

"Sir I'm so sorry! But the ghost, I'm telling y-"

"There are no GHOSTS! And you, are, FIRED!" Grandpa shrieked.

Randy covered his ears as he ran out the doors and past the gates to get away from the angry man as fast and far as possible.

Grandpa huffed and turned back to stare forlornly at the broken vase on the floor. Giving a depressed sigh himself, he slinked away to get the dustpan.

As Grandpa walked into the kitchen to get the dustpan, unbeknownst to him loud laughter erupted throughout the house. The 'person' who caused it was rolling on the floor in amusement, his crimson eyes sparkling with glee.

Grandpa doesn't hear a thing.

* * *

"Grandpa! I'm home!" Yugi called, shutting the door with his leg as he dumped his bag on the small, round table in the middle of the living room. It was the afternoon now and classes were finally over for the day.

Walking over to the dining table, Yugi pulled out his homework and emptied his lunch-bag before finally sitting down. Just as he picked up his pencil to get started, a complaining voice caused him to look up and stare curiously.

"This place, I'm sick and tired of it! It's so big and I forgot why I even got it!" Grandpa huffed, stomping up to Yugi and started to clean the imaginary dust on the already cleaned table.

"That crazy nut that wanted to help broke my antique vase! And he didn't do anything than cause a big mess!" Grandpa continued to rant angrily.

Yugi listened to his Grandpa complain, and winced at times when his guardian slammed something down on the table. Thankfully he was done ranting because he soon left to go into the other room, and quickly Yugi packed up his stuff before Grandpa came back.

"Later Grandpa!" he said as he ran up the stairs, then slammed his bedroom door shut.

As he flopped down on his bed, Yugi smirked to himself as he went through the plans that he had come up with during class. It was his first day of school, but everything he had learned went right over his head. He had more important things to think about. Things like the ghost that's living in his house.

* * *

Downstairs, sitting in the dark late that night, Yugi laid on the couch silent and stared at the ceiling.

"I know you're here, so you might as well come out," Yugi whispered loudly. He heard nothing, and then let out a deep sigh when the silence greeted him.

"I saw you last night. Come on! I won't hurt you!" Yugi pleaded, now sitting up as he looked around.

He saw nothing once again.

"Fine, you can hide as long as you want, but I'm staying right here!" Yugi yelled out. He then slumped down on the couch, yawning tiredly.

Around two hours had passed and Yugi still didn't see the ghost anywhere. His eyes started to close and he began to feel drowsy, and before he knew it he was out like a light. While he was getting some shut eye, a figure moved around the dark. His footsteps were soundless as he walked up to the couch where Yugi laid, staring at the half asleep child as his eyes glowed in the dark with an unreadable expression on his face.

Feeling someone staring at him, Yugi snapped his eyes wide open and gaped at the figure above him. He laid shocked for a few seconds before jumping up, facing the ghost.

"I knew I wasn't crazy!" Yugi exclaimed, staring at the ghost who took a step back from the child as if he too was surprised.

Yugi then covered his mouth, hoping that he didn't wake anyone up. He turned back towards the ghost in front of him.

"Why did you take the ice-cream bowl last night? You made me look like an idiot," Yugi said, pouting as he crossed his arms.

The ghost was silent.

Yugi then stood up on the chair, trying to get to the same height at the ghost in front of him who stood on the other side of the couch.

"Are you really a ghost?" Yugi asked, his eyes wide.

Still, no response from the ghost.

"Oh, so you don't talk much, huh," Yugi stated, looking curiously at the see-through figure.

"Please say something. I know you can talk!" Yugi cried, fuming as he waited impatiently for an answer from the ghost. He was standing right there, and wasn't saying anything!

Though after his last comment a reply came faster than he could blink.

"Will you be quiet?" the ghost exclaimed angrily. "And yes, I **am** a ghost, and this is **my** house, and **you** better be **quiet** or I'll rip you to pieces!" he shouted, moving to the other side of the couch to stand right in front of Yugi.

Yugi was taken aback at the outburst, but that didn't break his determination to speak with the supernatural being.

"But Grandpa says that ghosts don't exist," Yugi then said, crossing his arms. "So, you can't be a ghost!"

"Yes I am! And you and your 'grandpa' better leave. No one lives here. No one is allowed to live here. This is my house!" the ghost yelled.

"NO!" Yugi shouted, glaring at the ghost. "This is my house! Grandpa and I now live here so why don't you leave?!"

The ghost was silent and his eyes were wide as he stared at the child in front of him.

"My name is Yugi by the way," Yugi said suddenly.

"I know," the ghost whispered, confused by the child's randomness.

"You know my name, now tell me yours," Yugi said, giving the ghost a small smile, but the ghost just snarled at him. Yugi seemed to have not noticed, because if he did see it he was just ignoring it.

"Tell me!" Yugi cried out, and the ghost answered.

"My name is Yami, and you're supposed to be leaving now. Why are you still here?! Aren't you afraid?!" Yami exclaimed, now frustrated at the unfazed child.

"SH! Grandpa is still sleeping," Yugi warned, a finger to his lips.

"Aren't you scared of me?" Yami asked.

"Nope!" Yugi replied with a smile on his face. Yawning as he then stretched, he glanced up to look at the ghost.

"So you're real, and I'm not crazy. I'm satisfied now," he said softly, giving another yawn. "I'm tired. Goodnight Yami." And just like that he ended his conversation, jumped off the couch and began to make his way up the stairs and to his bedroom.

Yami however was left at that spot, surprised by the brave child as several things ran through his head. How come he wasn't afraid? Everyone is afraid of ghosts, right? No matter. He had to teach that kid a lesson about disobeying him. He smirked as the perfect plan came to his mind.

"No one messes with me and gets away with it," Yami declared before then disappearing like the wind.

* * *

 **Hope you liked it! The editing is actually going very well, and you all know that I love getting constructive criticism. So please, leave a little comment. I improve my writing, and you all get to see the next chapter quickly. :D That sounds fair, right?**

 **Anyways, review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I personally LOVE this chapter!**

 **Big thanks to all those that reviewed, except for one. I know I tell, erm force, you all to review, but seriously, please don't be sexual about anything or anyone, including the spirits. Okay? If you can't say anything nice, or, RELEVANT, please don't say anything at all.**

 **Anyways, thank you everyone! I know you've been waiting for this chapter! Sorry to keep you waiting.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

The Ghost of Yami Atem

Chapter 4

* * *

Yugi dropped his bag down on the floor as soon as he entered the house. He had just returned from school, and as soon as he walked in he saw his Grandpa running around like a mad man, mumbling and grumbling about how messy the house still was. Yugi shook his head to himself as he climbed the stairs to go into his room. If his Grandpa was having problems with the house, then the only thing a good grandson would do is to come up with a solution. For now, he better not disturb the man.

Looking around the house, Yugi noticed that he didn't see Yami anywhere, nor did he see him anytime during the day. Yugi in the end just assumed that Yami didn't come out during the day, since he is a ghost and all. So with that thought comfortable enough in his head, he quickly changed into a t-shirt and shorts before getting started on his homework. Eventually Grandpa would come up and force him to take a bath, then they would go back downstairs to eat dinner. Everything was pretty normal.

* * *

Nightfall came quickly. Quick for most people, but for Yami, it felt like ages.

Tonight he was finally going to get Yugi back for the other night. He was going to show the kid who's superior, and he would be victorious. Smirking, he vanished only to reappear upstairs right in front of Yugi's room which was still slightly opened. Taking a ghostly breath, he peeked into the room slowly only to have his eyes widen in confusion.

Yugi wasn't in the room.

Stepping away from the room and wondering deeply to himself, Yami was so busy thinking about where the child had gone that he didn't even notice the small figure standing behind him, mimicking his moves.

When Yami scratched his head in confusion, the figure behind him scratched his head too. Yami decided to go downstairs to look for the child, and the figure behind him followed. Yami ended up in the living room where he began to walk behind all the chairs, looking for the young boy. As Yami moved from the large couch to the loveseat, the small figure slid behind the large couch Yami had already looked behind, being silent as a mouse. He observed Yami from afar, trying his hardest to stifle his giggles.

Yami furrowed his eyebrows. "Where is he?" he asked himself softly, now standing close to where the little boy was hiding.

Yami circled that same couch again, the figure crawling away and on to the couch as soon as Yami stood behind it. He looked at the ghost's turned back cautiously, and as soon as Yami turned around, he got the fright of his life.

"HA!" Yugi shouted, then burst into fits of laughter by the look of shock that crossed Yami's face. Yami's mouth was wide open, eyes enormous and had a hand over his heart. He was left speechless! Yugi laughed some more, holding his stomach as he giggled uncontrollably.

"YUGI!" Yami then shouted, fuming at the laughing child who was now rolling on the floor.

"Haha! Y-you sh-should've s-seen your f- face! It was priceless!" Yugi said, still laughing hysterically.

Yami glared at the child.

"Do you think this is FUNNY!?" Yami shouted, arms crossed as he looked down at Yugi.

"Why do you think I'm laughing?" Yugi said, now standing up to face Yami.

"Why you..." Yami began with irritation, and seeing the look of anger, Yugi broke into a run. Yami didn't hesitate to give chase at the child who was smiling despite the impending danger of messing with a spirit.

Yugi ran all around the house, circling furniture and going under them if he had to, just so he could get away from Yami. Yami was right behind him though, mumbling curses under his breath each time he came close to catching the child, but missed.

Yugi was right in front of him, barely in arms reach. He couldn't catch the child like this. Yami then came up with what he would call, a brilliant idea. With a wave of his hand, he slid the boxes that were scattered everywhere in front of Yugi, stopping the child in his tracks. Yugi tried to get away, but Yami reached him just in time.

"No fair!" Yugi whined, pouting as he crossed his arms and then turned around to glare up at Yami.

"What are you still doing here?" Yami demanded, shooting Yugi an angry stare.

"Duh! I'm living here!" Yugi shot back, smiling innocently up at Yami even though the ghost's temper was at breaking point.

"I thought I told you to get out," Yami said, steeling himself so he could not hurt the child, even though he really wanted to give the kid a piece of his mind.

"Yeah, but you can't act all tough and get what you want, now can you," Yugi said, giving Yami a smug look.

Yami glared even further, the thought of sparing the kid slowly being consumed by anger. Instead, he used the only other way he knew when some little kid is being stubborn.

"I'm stronger than you'll ever be. You're just a mere child while I am practically twice or age. Also, as you're human, I am not," Yami stated, grinning to himself as he watched Yugi's little fists clenched.

"So!? That doesn't mean you're better!" Yugi exclaimed angrily.

"Yes it does," Yami said.

"But I'm smarter than you!" Yugi yelled, folding his arms.

"Yeah right," Yami sneered.

"I'll prove it!" Yugi exclaimed. Looking around, his eyes fell on the leaves scattered all over the floor. "See those leaves?" he asked Yami.

"Yeah."

"Well, I can blow them all outside with one breath!" Yugi said proudly, happy that Yami turned to look at him with curiosity. Perfect.

"Oh really now..." Yami trailed off, sarcasm lacing his voice.

Yugi nodded.

"Fine, let's see," Yami said.

Yugi gave one look at Yami, then turned to face the huge pile of leaves. He took a deep breath, then blew.

Yami blinked, then burst out laughing.

"Haha! Not even ONE leaf moved!" Yami cried, laughter erupting out of him.

Yugi scowled and looked at Yami. "Fine, then you do it!" he challenged.

"Fine," Yami said.

Yami turned towards the leaves, took one huge breath, and blew. Yugi watched in amazement as all the leaves rose up and flew out the opened windows, seeing as they all disappeared from the house quickly. When Yami stopped blowing a minute later, all the leaves in the house were gone.

"See!" Yami boasted, turning back to look at Yugi who was still looking at the house carefully as if expecting to still see a leaf. When Yugi didn't see anything, he glared at Yami, but a hint of something was hidden in his eyes and Yami couldn't place what it was.

"Okay, you win that round," Yugi admitted. "But…" He looked around the house once again until his eyes spotted a huge cobweb that was hanging in the corner. Seeing similar cobwebs everywhere, he grinned and knew exactly what the next challenge was.

"See that cobweb? I can take it down with my finger."

Yami looked at Yugi's little finger, and then at the big cobweb. "Ah, no, I don't think so. Let me show you how it's done." With overwhelming pride and confidence, he showed Yugi his powers. With one snap of his finger, the cobweb blew up into tiny dusts and as they fell they slowly disappeared before they could touch the ground.

Yugi hid the big grin on his face.

"See, I am more superior," Yami said with a hint of arrogance mixed in with his sneer.

"Nah, I still don't believe it," Yugi said, shaking his head sadly. "Try moving something. Like that painting!" He then pointed towards the painting that hung on the far end of the wall.

"Okay," Yami said, shrugging. It was no big deal. Easy! Just one picture.

With his arm outstretched, Yami focused then lifted the painting off the wall. Yugi stared in awe as the painting floated in the air.

"What to do with it?" Yami asked, grinning as he saw Yugi's gaping mouth.

"Put it on that wall," Yugi ordered, pointing towards the wall which was closer to the couches.

Yami does just that.

"No, I changed my mind. It looks better next to the door," Yugi said quickly, pointing to the smaller wall.

"Okay," Yami said, moving the painting again.

"Try moving something bigger. Like those boxes, or that chair!" Yugi exclaimed immediately after the painting, and he pointed at the various boxes and chairs that still needed to be placed.

Yami picked up the chair, then moved it towards the other end of the room.

"No, no, no, no! Not there, bring it back to the other end!" Yugi cried out.

Yami moved it back over.

"No I changed my mind, put it back!" Yugi shouted.

Yami growled as he moved the chair once more.

"How about those boxes? Move them upstairs and that big one next to the couches and that box in the kitchen!" Yugi said, all at once.

While Yugi was talking, Yami was picking everything up until almost everything was now in the air, moving back and forth as Yami tried to keep focused on the floating objects and all the challenges Yugi was throwing at him. If he lost focused, everything would come crashing down.

"No! Move that box in the kitchen and that chair upstairs, and that couch needs to go-"

"Enough!" Yami shouted, and by his words all the objects in the air landed on the floor with a huge bang.

"Hey! You're going to wake Grandpa-"

"Shut up!" Yami exclaimed.

Yugi shuts up.

"And come here!" Yami yelled, pointing to the spot next to him as he stood in front of the staircase.

As Yugi trudged over, Yami directed a small, wooden table next to him.

"Sit!" Yami ordered, pointing at the table.

Yugi sat.

"Cross your legs!" Yami yelled next.

Yugi crossed his legs.

Once Yami was sure Yugi wasn't going to move, he used his magic to lift the table with Yugi on it, up into the air and then freezing it there. Yugi stared wide-eye at him.

"Now, watch!" Yami commanded, and then turned towards the fallen boxes and chairs and all sorts of things in the room.

With one sweep of his arms, he directed all the objects to make two rows in front of him. Then, moving his arms back, the boxes and chairs moved like a train as they were all sent to their places.

Then, snapping his fingers, Yami made all the cobwebs in the house disappear, each one exploding into a dust of smoke.

He then turned towards the covered chairs and couches. Moving his hand back and forth quickly, he pulled the sheets off to reveal the black, leather couches and wooden chairs. Opening the boxes next, he took the plates and other utensils out and directed them towards their places in the drawers and cupboards. Flowers and vases were placed in their places, and boxes were thrown out into the big recycling bin outside.

Sighing at the job well done, Yami slammed the door, smirks to himself, then turned towards the blinking Yugi that still floated in the air. And with his hand, he finally directed the table down, setting it on the floor where it belonged.

Yami grinned at Yugi who was still blinking at him.

"See, I told you that I'm great and way better than you could ever be!" Yami said, crossing his arms with his chin up as if he was a King.

Yugi spoke after a short moment, taking the time to process everything that had just occurred right in front of them.

"Cobwebs gone?" he asked.

"Gone!" Yami said proudly.

"Leaves outside and off the porch?"

"Completely!" Yami said boldly, his ego getting bigger.

"The sheets off the chair gone?"

"Yes!"

"Boxes and chairs put away?"

"All put away!"

"House finally cleaned?" Yugi said, casting Yami a secretive look with a big smirk on his own face.

"The mansion is spotless!" Yami exclaimed, the grin widening on his face.

Yugi gave a huge smile, absolutely satisfied. "Now Grandpa won't leave!"

"Now Grandpa won't- HEY!" Yami exclaimed, pride completely gone and replaced with utter shock.

"See Yami, I told you I'm smart," Yugi said, giving him a wink as he stood up and started climbing the stairs.

Yami is left where he stood, absolutely speechless.

Yugi yawned as he stretched, stopping to turn to look at Yami once more. "Goodnight Yami," he said, before disappearing down the upstairs corridor.

After Yugi has gone, Yami was still left in shock, unmoving, mouth totally open as he stood there blinking like an idiot.

"B-b-b-but..." He started to blubber, looking up the stairs only to hear the sound of Yugi's bedroom door slamming shut.

Silence.

…

…

"ARGH!" Yami yelled angrily, his shout echoing throughout the empty house. "This is not what I planned..." he moaned, a big pout on his face as the anger was replaced with shame. Disappointed and humiliated, not wanting to face himself any longer, he disappeared to go mourn over his failure against an eight year old child.

* * *

 **And there's the end of the chapter! I hope you enjoyed it! I still laughed when going through the chapter again. Is the Yami shaming enough? LOL! Yugi certainly put him in his place.**

 **Review please! You know the drill when it comes to updates.**

 **Cookies for you wonderful readers! :D**


	5. Chapter 5

**So, I would say sorry for not updating sooner, but lovely peeeeople, you should have reviewed! What happened? I had no nice comments to encourage me –insert sad face- But, I would still LOVE to thank those who did review! You guys rock! And I'm glad to see more followers and favourites coming my way. Keep them coming!**

 **I hope you like this chapter, and I was glad to see that you loved the last chapter. I'm sorry for not updating sooner anyways, I had a stressful few days and I'm just glad to be done with it all. Anyways,**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

The Ghost of Yami Atem

Chapter 5

* * *

The sun rose slowly while people inside the home began to wake up and prepare for the new day that had inevitably arrived.

Grandpa yawned as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. Blinking tiredly as he looked around his surroundings, he pushed the covers off of himself and went to the bathroom to wash up. He brushed his teeth, showered, and then changed into his regular outfit. A green overalls, an orange headband to tame his wild, grey hair, and a yellow shirt under his overalls. With white socks on, he made his way downstairs, still a bit groggy. Oh well, things had to get done.

As he made his way down the stairs, his eyes shot open and he stopped midway on the stairs, staring at the house with surprise. It was spotless. Everything was in order, and absolutely clean. There were no leaves or dust or boxes of stuff anywhere and everywhere. His furniture was cleaned up, and everything just looked so great.

Grandpa scratched his head. "How…"

His eyes then fell upon the figure sitting at the base of the front door.

Randy.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Grandpa asked a bit harshly, and he watched with amusement as Randy scurried to his feet as he saw him walk towards him.

"S-sir, I'm just going to say it. I'm sorry about yesterday and I just want to make it up to you, so I c-came early to help you with any and all chores. I promise, I won't break anything else."

Grandpa stood before him with crossed arms, and Randy stood there looking terrified. Was the old man going to forgive him, or beat him up again? Oh well, it was nice when it lasted.

Grandpa shook his head sadly, a smiling gracing his lips as he walked up to the former worker. Randy took steps back as the man came closer, and flinched when the man stopped.

"Randy, I know what you did, and because of that I cannot let you go just like that."

Randy pressed himself against the banner when Grandpa spoke, and stared with worry when Grandpa reached into his pockets.

"Wh-What do you mean, sir?" he asked, but Grandpa didn't reply. All he did was sift through his pocket, and pulled out a hundred dollar bill. Randy stared, shocked as Grandpa gave it to him.

"Thanks for coming in and cleaning everything up," Grandpa said, and Randy cautiously took the money. Not sure as to what the old man was going on about, Randy took a peek in the house and his eyes widened to see it all clean. He took a look at the hundred in his eyes, smiling face of crazy old man, and his good luck. A win-win situation, right? Can't throw that away.

Randy smiled, wiping the confusion off his face and grinning up at Grandpa.

"Just wanted to apologise sir. Took a lot of hard work, but I did it." Randy smiled brightly as Grandpa patted him on the back and invited him in. He had no idea what happened, but Randy's just glad it did.

* * *

Yugi trudged home, wincing as he remembered the horrible day he had at school. He wouldn't really say that he was getting bullied. People annoying him wasn't bullying, they were just annoying him constantly, and it was one of the things that stressed him out. Ugh! If he could show those know-it-alls just one time…

Pushing the gates open, he made his way up to the front door. As soon as he entered he dropped his bag on the ground, still holding the straps though, and dragged the bag up to his bedroom. As soon as he got there, he flopped face down on to his bed with a low moan. He was dying of heat!

"Yugi? Are you okay?" Grandpa asked, opening the door slightly as he peeked in.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just really tired," Yugi said slowly.

"Are you sure you aren't sick?" Grandpa asked, stepping in. "You came in so quietly."

"No, I'm fine," he said again, sitting up in bed and pushing his blond bangs out of his sweaty face.

"Okay," Grandpa said again, using his handkerchief to wipe Yugi's face like a mother would. "If you're sure."

"Why don't you take a quick bath and come down for a snack, huh? Maybe that'll wake you up a bit," Grandpa then suggested.

"Okay, I'll be down soon," Yugi said a bit more cheery. A shower did sound like a great idea. He watched as Grandpa nodded before turning around to leave the room.

Yugi sighed as he got up and began to head for the bathroom. He grabbed a towel and his clothes as he goes out of his bedroom. There was no bathroom in his room, so he had to use the bathroom that was just down the hall.

Humming softly, a random tune that popped into his head, Yugi glanced around the house. Everything was so strange. He still hadn't gotten use to everything, and maybe that's why he noticed a door that he had never seen before. He stopped, staring at it. It looked, strange, just hidden away at the end of the hall. It even looked untouched. He looked behind him to try to see his Grandpa to ask about it, but his Grandpa was nowhere in sight. Since he didn't see him, Yugi decided to investigate it for himself.

Setting his hand on the cold metal, he turned the knob. It was stiff, but it opened, creaking as it did so. He pushed the door open a little wider, just enough for him to slip inside. For some reason though he began to feel very uneasy. There was a strange feeling that started to churn in his stomach, but why would the room make him feel nervous? Or scared? He pushed those thoughts aside and just stepped in anyways. He wouldn't turn back now.

As soon as he stepped in, a small sneeze escaped his mouth. Looking around he saw the reason why. There were mounds of dust that covered the furniture and everything else. At first it seemed to be a storage room, but as Yugi looked closer, he realised it was actually a bedroom that seemed to have turned into a closet. There was an old looking closet in the corner, a bed right in the middle, an old carpet lay on the floor, a dresser on one end of the wall, and it was all covered by what seemed to be old magazines, newspapers, and just boxes of all sizes.

Yugi stepped further into the room to then notice more personal things also covered in dust. Picture frames and photos were all dirty and stained. They were so bad Yugi couldn't make out who was in the picture, but one picture frame caught his eye. It was small, hidden well behind the newspapers on the dresser. He stepped forward to see it properly, but a creak stopped him in his tracks.

He spun around and frantically scanned the room around him. He didn't see anything at first, but then he noticed a rocking chair hidden in the corner, with the body of a familiar face curled up on it.

Yami.

He was facing the corner, away from Yugi. His legs were propped up on the edge of the rocking chair and his right arm was wrapped around a small, purple pillow while his left arm rested against his head.

Yugi slowly walked up to him, stepping in front of him to look at his face.

Yami's face was calm as his eyes remained closed, unaware that he was standing in front of him. Yugi smiled at the scene, realising Yami didn't look so angry and grouchy and sour, and - well you get the point - anymore. All his guards were down, looking quite vulnerable as he slept.

Yugi then frowned to himself as he finally noticed all the details that he couldn't have possibly saw in the dark. There was a scar on Yami's left shoulder, a long cut on his fingers, as if someone grabbed his hand and dragged a knife across them, and then, Yugi noticed the deep and horrible looking scar on Yami's forehead. It seemed to have not healed properly, and it looked infected. It was a dark color, dried blood covering it. It was at that moment when reality dawned upon Yugi.

Yami's a ghost, so, how did he die?

Yugi gently reached out to touch Yami's face, a feeling of sadness crawling into his system. Yami looked pretty young too. How long had he been alone? Yugi was just about to touch Yami forehead when he stopped, nervousness engulfing him then. What would he feel when he touched the spirit? Would he feel skin? Or would his hand go right through him? Like a ghost. Yugi didn't know, but it seemed he would never find out because at that moment, Yami's eyes snapped open. Yugi pulled back quickly in shock.

Yami quickly stood up and glared down at Yugi who was still startled.

"What are you doing here?!" he exclaimed.

For once, Yugi showed fear in front of him. He stammered, "I-I saw th-the door a-and wo-wondered-"

"You had no right to come in here!" Yami yelled. "You stay here, fine! But you don't ever come into this room, got it!"

"But you can't stay here! It's messy and dirty! Who knows what's in here!" Yugi cried out.

"So? I've been living in here for the past four years! Why should I stop now?! And why do you even care?! All you've been lately was a big pain!"

Yugi's eyes glistened, unable to find words to shout back at the spirit. Usually he was good at giving comebacks, but all of his remarks seemed to have disappeared. All he felt was, sadness. Just sadness.

"No one cared, so why should I trust you?" Yami continued, turning away.

"Because I'm your friend!" Yugi then cried out, tears falling. Yami was all alone. Maybe that's why he's been so mean. He even said it himself, he had no one to trust. He didn't have a friend and all he had done was bother him. But what he said was true. Ever since he came here, he hadn't had a single friend either. Yami was there to keep him company, even though the spirit did so unwillingly. Yami didn't hurt him.

"No you're not..." Yami said quietly.

"But you are my friend! I can see that you're all alone, but I can tell that you're also really nice! You're not mean!" Yugi cried.

"Go away!" Yami screamed, he turned back to Yugi with such speed that made his eyes glow and a dark aura to form around him. Seeing that, Yugi gave a cry of shock and fear, his eyes going wide before he rushed out of the room.

Yami watched as he ran away, not turning back.

* * *

Yami's footsteps were silent as he slowly made his way to the small balcony that night. The sun had set just over an hour ago, and he had seen no sign of the child.

He just needed to think. To clear his head and sort his mind before he went insane. The scene with Yugi running from him ran through his head like a broken record player. He scared the child, and for some reason that unsettled him. Yugi's words, everything he said, and then he did that. Why? Why did he care?

Yami simply walked through the glass doors of the balcony, only to stop when he noticed that he wasn't going to be the only one there that night. He saw Yugi who was perched on a bench that was outside on the roofless balcony. Yami wasn't sure if Yugi had noticed him or not, and if he did, then he was being ignored. For some reason though Yami didn't want to be ignored by the child.

Yami slowly walked closer and sat next to Yugi on the bench, yet still keeping his distance from him. Yugi hadn't said a word, and Yami's heart just clenched more when he saw the small boy sitting there so quietly. It wasn't like him to be so quiet. He looked over, and smiled a bit to see that the child's feet weren't even touching the floor. Yugi's eyes though, they were looking up into the sky, staring at the cloudless night, and the sparkling stars. Guilt started to creep into him again, and he gulped, fiddling with the bracelet that was around his wrist.

"Uhh Yugi?" he began quietly.

Yugi said nothing.

"Um I'm sorry. For yelling at you."

Yugi still didn't say anything. He stayed silent and just continued to stare at the stars in the sky.

Yami looked up as well, then down back at Yugi. He bit his lip, sorrow mixing in with his nerves as he saw tears rolling down Yugi's face.

"H-hey, don't cry, I'm sorry. If you want I-I'll leave," Yami began, and he stood up and began to walk away. Yes, he hurt the child. He was an awful person. He shouldn't have come to talk to him.

"No, it's okay Yami. I'm not upset because of you," Yugi said quietly, just enough for Yami to hear.

Yami was surprised, but he made his way back over to the child and hesitantly took a seat. They were both silent.

"You know, my parents died when I was really little. Or, what Grandpa had told me. He took care of me ever since," Yugi continued.

Yami listened attentively. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Yugi said, wrapping his arms around his legs.

Yami watched as the child go off into his own little world which probably was just making him feel worst. Yami's assumption was proven when Yugi sniffed and wiped more tears from his eyes.

"Hey, don't cry," Yami said, reaching over to Yugi, but then pulling back since he didn't know how the child would react to his touch.

"You miss them, don't you?" Yami decided to just ask, even if the answer was pretty obvious.

"Yeah," Yugi replied.

"Well don't be sad, they're always there with you, in your heart," Yami said softly. He then looked up into the sky. "See those stars," he began, pointing. "When a person dies, they become a star. Always looking down to see you if you're doing okay. When you look up at night, you see them. And you know your loved ones are right there. Like another memory," Yami explained.

Yugi looked up at the stars. "How do you know which one is them?" he asked.

"Because it would be the one that shines the brightest," Yami said, smiling.

"Hey Yami, I'm sorry for being mean to you for the past nights," Yugi said sheepishly.

Yami smiled back. "Nah, I should be the one apologising to you. I was the one who was rude."

"Are you like that with all the other people who tried to live here?" Yugi asked.

"Yeah, I try to run them out."

"Why?"

"I don't know. I guess I'm just not used to them being here since they all just… Never mind," Yami said sadly.

"Oh. Do you want to talk about it?" Yugi asked.

Yami remained quiet, but he was then grabbed. Looking down, he saw Yugi hugging him tightly.

"Thank you, Yami," he said quietly, teeth chattering as he felt the freezing cold air around him. He almost went right through, but he withstood the cold to let Yami understand. He then felt a cold hand on his back.

"Don't thank me," Yami said.

"Well too bad, I am," Yugi shot back, a pout on his face.

Yami gave a small laugh. "Still very stubborn aren't you?"

"Nah, you're just very fun to tease."

"Hey!" Yami exclaimed, but then smiled. His smile was then removed when something else came to mind. "Yugi, about what you said…"

Yugi looked up and just smiled at him. "I meant what I said." Before Yami could say anything else, Yugi got up and began to make his way inside. "Aren't you coming?" he stopped to ask Yami who was still sitting on the bench.

"I'll stay here a little longer," Yami replied.

"Okay," Yugi said, and he walked in, leaving the door slightly opened as if Yami would need it.

Yami looked at the door Yugi went through, then turned to look up at the sky. He smiled softly, staring at the star. "It's official mom, I'm finally going soft."

A star twinkled brightly.

* * *

 **So! How did you all like it? I do hope you love it! Please leave a wonderful review. Again, I would like to see reviews because they urge me to re-edit and update! I have no more school so updates will happen depending on the amount of reviews I get. See you next chapter!**

 **Thanks once again. :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Okay, this is an extra chapter just to go more into Yami and Yugi's newfound friendship. It's very funny! :D I would like to thank you for your wonderful reviews, and finally we hit the thirty review mark! I would really appreciate some more kind words from all of you, because they inspire to update sooner. You all are great readers though. So, I hope you like this chapter as much as I do.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

The Ghost of Yami Atem

Chapter 6

* * *

Friday came quickly for Yugi, but this time he walked home happily instead of tired out. It was because school was out early! It was only noon, but because of a storm that was on its way they were allowed to just run home before it arrived. Entering the house, Yugi did his normal duties of changing, eating, and helping him Grandpa. Grandpa was in the kitchen trying out some new recipes, but instead he burned everything. There was burned food all over the place. Deciding he had done enough helping, Yugi wrinkled his nose and ran upstairs to look for his new friends.

Looking into the rooms, Yugi noticed that the rain had started to fall outside. It pattered against the roof loudly, but it was sort of calming instead of scary. He wasn't afraid of the rain, and surely Yami wasn't afraid of the rain too. Remembering that he was supposed to be looking for Yami, Yugi pushed his way from the window and immediately walked towards Yami's room.

Sure enough, there was Yami on the ground, sifting through a pile of newspapers next to his bed.

Yugi knocked as he peeked through the crack of the doorway.

"Hi, Yami!" he said cheerily.

Obviously startled, Yami looked up. Seeing Yugi at the doorways he shoved the papers under the bed and stood up.

"Hey, what are you doing home so early?" he asked, fumbling to get quickly on to his feet.

"Storm," Yugi simply said as he stepped in. "What were you reading?" he then asked.

"Oh, that..." Yami chuckled nervously. "That's, nothing..." he said, kicking them further under the bed.

Yugi wondered what that was about, but pushed it out of his mind. Besides, he could barely read. It wouldn't make a difference if he saw them. Yami would tell him eventually, right?

"Do you want to do something? I'm really bored," Yugi said, looking at Yami.

"I guess..." Yami said uncertainly.

"Okay! Race you downstairs!" Yugi exclaimed, and he bolted out the door and ran as fast as he could down the stairs. When he got there, he stopped. Yami was standing at the bottom.

"Hey! How did you get here so fast?" he wondered, halting to a stop before he smacked, or goes right through, Yami.

"Ghost abilities," Yami said, a tiny smirk on his face.

Yugi 'oohed' in realisation. "Wanna help me with my baseball. I've been practising a lot, but I just can't be able to hit the ball," Yugi said as he got his baseball and bat from the closet. Yami nodded.

"What's your Grandpa doing?" he asked, looking at the old man who was settled on the couch with the TV on.

"I don't know... Probably watching some boring show," Yugi answered lazily as he threw the ball up and swung. Yami watched as the boy missed, and the ball bounced away.

"Ugh," Yugi said as he stared at the bouncing ball. Yami brought it back with his magic though, and threw it over to Yugi who was more than happy.

"Try again," Yami encouraged.

Yugi nodded. Throwing it up once more, he swung.

\- 48 minutes later -

Yami laid on the floor and he listened to Yugi who was still throwing the ball up and missing it for what seemed like the thousandth time.

"Yugi, you're not going to hit it. Just stop," Yami said, gazing at Yugi before turning to lay on his back.

"No! I won't give up," Yugi said, taking another aim and missing yet again.

Yami sighed as he got up. He was bored. He needed something fun to do. There was nothing interesting going on. Yami noticed that Grandpa was still watching TV in front of them. If Yugi just happened to hit the ball, it'll go straight for the... Hey! Yami grinned. He thought of something fun to do.

He watched as Yugi pick the ball up again and throw it up, but as the ball was in the air and Yugi prepared to hit, Yami used his magic and sent the ball flying, making it seem as if Yugi actually hit it.

Yugi stared opened mouth at the ball as it went flying... straight towards the television.

Suddenly, there was a loud crack and explosion, glass falling and smoke in the air. Yugi and Yami turned to Grandpa who must have nearly got a heart attack. Grandpa turned around and shot Yugi a dark glare.

"YUGI!"

Yami was dying on the floor, laughing his heart out as Yugi withstood the punishments and the two weeks grounding, and plus an angry Grandpa who was yelling at him about playing inside the house. When he was done, Yugi turned to Yami and pointed a vicious finger at him.

"Yami!" he cried out, and he ran straight for the spirit who in turn ran around the house, leaving Yami to wonder what Yugi would do to him if he was caught.

It didn't take long for the angry eight year old to run until he tired Yami out, so now he was sitting on the floor, leaning against a post while Yugi had disappeared to think of another idea to soothe their (or his) boredom.

Yami was tired of sitting and waiting, but he was extremely lazy to move. So, he just sat there staring out into space and getting lost in his own thoughts. Maybe that's why when he felt a warmth on his shoulder he was quite out of it. He didn't turn around to see who was tapping him on his shoulder because he assumed it to be Yugi. However, the tapping got more urgent and annoyed, Yami turned around. "What?" he hissed, only to have his eyes widened. Slowly he turned back around, still as a stone, in disbelief at what he just saw. He saw a big, fuzzy brown creature behind him. Confused and highly worried, he turned back around.

"ROAR!" the creature shouted, and Yami went even whiter.

"A BEAR!" he screeched, and he slid as fast as he could away from the 'bear'. It was still there, looking at him with his head cocked to the side, staring at him. Then, it did the most horrible thing ever.

It talked.

"Hi, Yami!" it squealed cheerfully. And Yami, Yami passed out.

When he finally regained consciousness, his eyes went wide as he saw the bear staring down at him. He screeched once more and got up as fast as he could and ran away.

"Yami! Stop!" it cried out.

Yami was still freaked out, wondering how the thing knew his name and why that voice sounded so familiar. But, when the thought finally sunk in, Yami felt like smacking himself with a frying pan.

"Yugi!" he cried out, groaning as he knew he made the child's day by being so freaked out, and passing out.

Yugi giggled and pulled the bear head off.

"I knew it was a great costume, but I didn't think YOU of all people would faint," Yugi said, bursting into even more laughter.

"Oh my gosh, it's a costume," Yami said bluntly, looking at it. "Where did you get it from?"

"It was my costume from Halloween last year!" Yugi said.

Yami rose an eyebrow. "And what were you going to do with that now?" Yami asked. "It better have not been to just scare me," he then threatened.

Yugi chuckled. "I planned on scaring Grandpa, but then I saw you and decided to test it out. You really fell for it!" Yugi said excitedly.

"Aren't you grounded?" Yami asked, an annoyed and peeved frown on his face as he looked at Yugi who just gave a shrug.

"I know, but..."

"But?" Yami asked.

"I'll manage," he said, and he got up and walked away.

Yami sighed, knowing full well that this daring stunt wasn't going to end well. He saw the old man in action. It was not going to be pretty. "Okay, but you'll regret it later!"

Yugi shook his head as he ran off.

Yami shook his head sadly, but then smirked. "He's going to be in trouble, but, who cares! I like where this is going!" and he got up and followed Yugi.

They made their way over to Grandpa who was walking towards the laundry room with an empty basket. Yugi put the head back on and he hid behind the wall that Grandpa was going to pass by. As Grandpa got closer, Yugi jumped out.

"ROAR!" Yugi cried.

Grandpa was taken aback slightly, but he regained himself and glared at Yugi.

"I thought I said you were grounded!" Grandpa yelled.

Yugi winced, and he pulled off the head as he said sorry, then scampered off to Yami who was on the couch, shaking his head sadly at Yugi.

"What?!" Yugi said as he walked over to Yami.

"Tsk tsk..." Yami said, shaking his head.

Yugi put his hands at his hips. "So you think you can do better, huh?"

"Yugi, anyone can do better," Yami replied with a tiny smirk.

"Fine! Let's see," Yugi said, and he dropped the head next to Yami on the couch.

\- 1 minute later -

Grandpa was making his way back from the laundry room with a full basket of clean clothes. Then, he saw a big bear jump out from behind the wall. Grandpa was shocked, but recovered fast enough to glare and take a towel from the basket and whack his grandson with it.

"Bedroom! NOW! And make that three weeks!" he yelled again before he marched away.

Yami pulled the head off, groaning as he rubbed his head and arm where he got hit.

"Yugi, I don't like your Grandpa..." Yami said, a pout on his face, only to facepalm as he watched Yugi roll on the ground with laughter. Yami blinked. "I don't know why you're happy. You just got another week!"

Yugi sighed. "Yeah, but it was worth it!" he exclaimed.

Yami rose an eyebrow. "Meaning?"

"You're going to be there to keep me company, and I'll make sure you pay for getting me grounded for so long!"

Yami rose a brow. "Oh, I see..." he said, "So, you think I am going to be there with you for your entertainment?"

Yugi nodded with a big smile on his face, which then turned serious. "You better."

"Well I'm not!" Yami shouted.

Yugi's eyes went wide. "No, Yami! Please!" he pleaded.

"Yugi! NOW!" Grandpa's voice shouted from the kitchen.

Yugi pouted at Yami as he made his way upstairs, the spirit following behind slowly. Yami struggled to resist the puppy dog eyes Yugi was giving him, but he broke.

"Fine!" he said, sighing loudly after his exclamation.

Yugi's face lit up. "YAY!"

"YUGI!"

Yami and Yugi went wide eye. They gave each other a look, and then scurried up the stairs as fast as they could.

* * *

 **And that's the end of this chapter! I hope you liked it! Please review and tell me what you think. I know, this chapter was kind of random, but things get serious later on in the story. Hospitals… shall be involved.**

 **So, review please!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello everyone! Wow, didn't know how fast the days went by. Planned on updating this earlier, but… Woah. Anyways, glad to see that people are interested in reading the story! Now, tell me your thoughts. Things get kind of interesting and serious this chapter because a bit of Yami's past is revealed. Or, reference to it. Hope you guys figure it out! A big thank you to all of you for your continuous support. Please do stay interested.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

The Ghost of Yami Atem

Chapter 7

* * *

Three weeks later, Yugi was finally free to do as he pleased. He was no longer grounded, thank goodness, because Yami had proved himself during the three weeks that he was not a good entertainer. All he did was sleep, and then disappear, so Yugi had obviously been bored out of his skull where he spent his time thinking about how he got into the mess. Overall, he decided to never play with Yami again. The spirit was just too boring! So now he was free and that was all that mattered. He could do whatever he wanted, except watching TV since a new one still had to be bought. But, he was fine with that. There were other ways to amuse himself after all.

It was a bright Saturday afternoon, and the sun shone down on everything and everyone. Yugi stood on the balcony enjoying the fresh and crisp morning with an old game. He was still trying to hit that baseball. The routine though did not change. Every time he threw it up, he missed. Luckily Yami wasn't there to tease him endlessly about it. He might have just thrown the bat at the spirit.

"Why can't I get this right?!" he yelled, as he threw the ball up and swung.

Yugi's eyes went wide as he felt a pressure against the bat, a smacking sound being heard, and the sight of the ball flying into the distance. He continued to gape until the ball fell to the ground on the bottom floor. After the moment sunk in, it didn't take him too long to begin rejoicing.

"I did it! I did it!" he shouted excitedly, jumping up and down and running around on the balcony. "I did it!"

His joy was short lived when another thought crossed his mind. As soon as he did, his movement stilled because now he had to go all the way downstairs and retrieve the fallen ball. Sighing as he looked at the small sphere down below, he shouted.

"Grandpa! Ball overboard!" he called out, hoping that his Grandpa would throw it back up to him. However, he saw the ball bounce right back on to the balcony a few seconds later, and it bounced up and down in front of Yugi without stopping.

"Yami..." he sighed, shaking his head. It was pretty obvious to him now that the spirit was somewhere around. Only he could make the ball hop all the way up to the second floor just like that.

He tried to hit the bouncing ball that bounced in one place before him, but he missed. So, he decided to just go after it as it began to slowly hop away. The ball bounced into the house and down the hallway. Slightly frustrated, Yugi followed the ball, refusing to give up. Leave it up to Yami to know exactly what annoyed him.

The ball continued its journey down the hallway, then stopped at the top of the stairs as it bounced up and down as if it was waiting for Yugi. Throwing away the bat and just wanting to catch the ball, Yugi marched up to the ball and tried to grab it. The ball bounced on to the other stair, so Yugi tried again. He swung his arm out to catch it, but missed yet again. After a few more tries and the ball just getting farther and farther, he pulled back and sighed.

"Stupid ball..." he grumbled. Fed up, he decided to just yell at Yami to give him his ball back. However, just as he turned around to yell for Yami…

"HA!" a voice yelled.

Yami was right behind Yugi, and he laughed at Yugi's scared and shocked expression. Little did he know that he scared the boy at the wrong time, because Yugi was so surprised that he let go of the railing and lost his balance on the stairs, causing him to tip back and fall. Yami's eyes widened. He tried to grab the younger boy's hand as quick as possible, but he lost his focus and concentration to his panic and worry, and he watched in shock as Yugi's outstretched hand passed right through his transparent ones, the little boy tumbling down the hard, wooden stairs, headfirst. As he fell, Yugi smashed his forehead against the edge of a stair, then fell the rest of the way down to land at the ground with a limp thud.

"Yugi!" Yami cried, rushing down, Grandpa running towards them too since he heard the noise.

"Yugi!" Grandpa cried, rushing over he stared at Yugi's unconscious body on the floor. Turning him over, Grandpa gasped as Yami watched, wide-eyed at the blood pouring out of Yugi's head.

"Y-Yugi? Yugi! Wh-What happened? Oh my gosh, wake up!" Grandpa cried, cradling his grandson.

"I-I'm sorry! It was an a-accident! I didn't m-mean to..." Yami tried to explain frantically, but Grandpa didn't hear him or see him for that matter.

"Doctor? I should call a doctor, an ambulance!" Grandpa panicked feverishly to himself as he laid Yugi back on to the floor and rushed off to get a phone. While he was gone, Yami dropped to his knees and grazed his thumb against the young boy's cold and bloodied cheek.

"Y-Yugi. I'm so sorry..." he said softly, tears falling from his eyes in regret. It was all his fault. If he hadn't played so rough with the boy, none of this would have happened. He was a curse. Everything goes wrong because of him. Everyone he loved, were going away because of his stupid decisions. Everyone! Now, now Yugi… Yami sobbed and watched helplessly as Grandpa rushed back after making the phone call, and watched heartbroken as paramedics arrived to take the bleeding boy away.

* * *

The ambulance arrived at the hospital in a few minutes, and they rushed through the cold, white hallway with Yugi on a gurney, doctors surrounding him. Yami jogged to keep up with them as Grandpa remained right by Yugi's side as the doctor examined Yugi's injury.

"What happened?" the Doctor asked, checking Yugi over.

"I-I don't know. I was in the kitchen and then I h-heard him fall," Grandpa stuttered out, very much confused. Yami felt like screaming and ripping his tongue out to shout to them that he was the culprit. He did it to Yugi. Yet, he couldn't. He wouldn't say a word. He'll have to suffer in silence and pray that the boy would be alright.

"Okay. Take him to the ICU," the Doctor ordered a nurse. "If we don't hurry, he might fall have a blood clot and will probably fall into coma. He's losing too much blood."

"Coma!" Grandpa cried out, trying to follow them as they rushed off towards the Intensive Care Unit. Yami tried to follow too, but was held back and frozen to the spot when he overheard someone's conversation.

"Hey, isn't that the man who lives in the haunted house?" a lady asked the man sitting next to her.

"Yeah..." the man said, eyes widening in recognition. "It is!"

Yami trembled.

"Looks like the ghost did his job," the man said, shaking his head sadly.

Yami's eyes misted over with tears.

"Poor boy," the lady said. "The ghost struck again. What did that innocent boy ever do?"

Unable to hear any more, Yami ran down the hallway, making it just in time to see the nurses roll Yugi through the big double doors. The doctor was trying to convince Grandpa to stay outside and let them take care of his grandson. It seemed that the old man would have none of it.

"No, stay here," the doctor said, trying to calm the frantic man. "We will take care of him. You cannot enter this room."

"I have to be with him! Please," Grandpa pleaded, but the Doctor shook his head.

"I understand, but I am sorry. It is all for precaution reasons. Just rest assure that we will do everything in our power to make sure Yugi gets better."

Grandpa hesitated, but stayed, sobbing quietly as he flopped down on the empty waiting chair. Yami stood, leaning against the wall as he watched everything that went on. Sighing, he slid to the bottom of the wall, drowning his regret and worry, having no choice but to listen to Grandpa's fretful sobs, agony, and immense worry.

A few hours later, footsteps were heard as they walked down the tiled floor. Immediately the two people waiting looked up to see that the doctor was coming towards them. Grandpa stood up and rushed forward, waiting to hear the results. Yami stood and watched from a distance, too ashamed of himself to go anywhere near Yugi's results in fear that his bad luck will only bring bad news.

"Don't worry. Thankfully there was no blood clot. He's okay now and in stable condition. He might be able to go home tomorrow," the doctor explained with a relieved and comforting smile.

Grandpa gave a sigh of relief. "Can I see him?" he asked.

"Yeah, sure," the doctor said enthusiastically. "When he awakes, just let me know. I want to see how he's doing, okay."

"Yes, absolutely, Doctor," Grandpa said before he rushed off to the room where Yugi was being kept in. Yami followed silently, his boots not making a sound on the tiled floors. There were no "clicks" like the doctor's shoes, nor a "shuffle" sound like Yugi's grandpa. Just utter silence.

They arrived at the room, and as soon as they stepped in they saw that Yugi was indeed asleep, but with various machines beeping around him and a bandage wrapped around his head. Grandpa looked at the bandage before he took Yugi's hand as he sat down on the chair, waiting for him to wake up. Yami stood off in the corner watching as he was unable to do anything to help the matter.

Grandpa fell asleep by Yugi's side, still holding his hand. Seeing no need to fear any more, Yami stepped closer and he too inspected Yugi's bandage, then touch the wound on his own. Memories flooded back as he remembered that day clearly, but he was then snapped out of his thoughts when he saw Yugi's finger move.

Yami's eyes widened, and he yelled at Grandpa.

"Hey, wake up, he's waking up!" he cried, waving his hands in front of the sleeping man. But that didn't help at all so Yami just turned his attention back on Yugi. Slowly, Yugi's eyes opened and looked around. Grandpa finally noticed because his eyes opened and saw Yugi awake. He broke into a wide, relieved smile.

"Doctor! Doctor, he's awake!" Grandpa called, rushing out the door. The doctor soon walked in and he went straight up to Yugi.

"How are you feeling?" the doctor asked, checking Yugi's heartbeat.

"Okay," Yugi replied quietly.

"Good. Now, can you tell us how you fell down?" the doctor asked.

Yami's eyes widened as he looked at Yugi. Yugi met his eyes at that moment, and Yami was unable to make out the blank look on the young boy's face. Yugi turned away, and went back to answering the Doctor's question.

"I was playing with the ball on the stairs, and I wasn't paying attention to where I was stepping, so I slipped," Yugi simply explained.

Yami gave a soft glance at Yugi, sadness welling up inside of him. Now the boy was lying because of him? No, that was just wrong. It was his fault, not Yugi's. "Oh Yugi..." Yami said to himself, and he watched worriedly as Yugi just smiled back softly at him.

"I told you to not play on the stairs. You see what happened?!" Grandpa said in a worried, yet scolding voice as he also tried not to cry.

"Yugi that was a very reckless mistake. You could have seriously hurt yourself. Be careful next time, okay," the doctor said. Yugi nodded. "Good. I'll be going now. I have other patients to tend to," the doctor said before leaving the room. Yugi then turned to Grandpa.

"Grandpa... I'm sorry. I caused a lot of trouble, haven't I?" Yugi said quietly. Grandpa shook his head.

"Of course not. You just had me extremely worried about you."

"I worry you too much," Yugi said softly. "Grandpa... Were you scared?" he then asked.

Grandpa chuckled nervously. "Of course I was. After all, I only have one grandson." Yugi smiled. "I'll get you some water, okay?" Grandpa said and he got up and left the room.

Yugi nodded and he watched as Grandpa walked out the door, closing it behind him. Yugi then turned his head towards Yami who was shaking slightly as he dropped to his knees beside the bed.

"Yugi, I-I'm so sorry..." Yami said, his voice cracking.

Yugi smiled. "Yami, it's okay. It's not your fault," he said.

"If only I caught you, none of this would've happened," Yami continued to rant, refusing to meet Yugi's gaze.

"Yami..." Yugi threatened.

"I shouldn't have tried to scare you!" Yami sighed deeply, clenching his fists against his knees. "What was I thinking? Now look what I've done," Yami said to himself.

"Yami! Stop!" Yugi exclaimed. "None of this is your fault, okay. But if it helps, I forgive you. You don't have to say sorry," Yugi said.

"You could have died!" Yami cried.

"No, I wouldn't, because I have my big brother protecting me," Yugi said.

"Brother?" Yami questioned.

"Yeah, that's right. Yami, you're like the brother I never had but always wanted. I always felt like I was missing part of me. Part of my soul was missing. But I met you, and now I feel complete. Now, I truly feel happy," Yugi said.

Yami smiled. "Thanks Yugi," he said, giving Yugi a hug.

"Hey, watch out! You're going to freeze me!" Yugi said, laughing.

"Whoops! Sorry," Yami chuckled nervously as he stepped away from the boy and then stood up. Yugi shook his head sadly as Yami sat on the bed.

"What?" Yami asked, noticing Yugi staring at him.

"Oh nothing," Yugi admitted. "Just, wondering how I can have a special friend like you."

Yami smiled. "Yugi, I'm the one who's supposed to be saying that. Besides, I was the one who scared poor civilians for four years, making them think that the house was haunted, okay," Yami said matter-of-factly.

"Really?" Yugi said with a raised eye brow.

Yami nodded.

"Well then, guess you'll have to tell me all the mean things you've done!"

Yami laughed, and he jumped right into his pool of stories that he had piled up over the years. Yugi giggled as Yami told him about the crazy things that people had done when he broke into his home. However, while Yami was telling the stories, Yugi couldn't help but frown a little as a thought came into his mind when he stared at the wound against Yami's forehead which was very alike to his own wound.

" _What's your story, Yami?"_

* * *

 **There! So, how do you all like it? It's not one of my bests, but I hoped it was fine. Please review and tell me what you think! Oh, and there are 19 chapters to this story, so just 12 more chapters to go until the end!**

 **Bye! Until later. Pleas review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**The next chapter has arrived! A new character makes his appearance, and if you've read this story the first time then you know who it is. I would like to thank you all for the follows, favourites, and the reviews. It makes me happy to see that you are enjoying it. Please continue to review, they are always appreciated.**

 **Oh, and here's something that I should explain. The reason as to why Grandpa can't see Yami is because Yami can choose who he wants to see him. So he chose Yugi, that's why Yugi sees him and not Grandpa. But if Yami wanted, Grandpa can see him as well, which will happed further into the story. And as for Yami, Yami can touch things, but he has to be focused to be able to do so. If he's not concentrating on what he's doing, things will pass through him like he doesn't exist. So, yeah.**

 **Okay, done talking. Hope you like this chapter.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

The Ghost of Yami Atem

Chapter 8

* * *

"Yes, sir?" the voice asked into a black mobile phone as he walked out of the big, iron gates, fixing the tie around his neck and combing his hair back as he walked up to the sleek, black car that waited in front of the house.

 _"Roland, did you see the house?"_ the person on the receiving end of the call demanded coldly.

"Yes, Mr. Kaiba. I checked it out and it looks great," Roland replied with a grin, opening the driver's seat of the door and getting in.

 _"Good, because I've made a decision on what to do with it,"_ Kaiba stated, and it was then when Roland's face dropped and turned into confusion.

"Wait, what do you mean by that, sir?" he asked quickly, uneasily slamming the car door shut, but the line went dead, beeping being heard which signaled that the other had slammed the phone down.

"Huh," Roland said to himself, but he shrugged it off and tucked his phone back into his jacket pocket before putting the car into drive and making his way back to Kaiba corp. headquarters.

* * *

Yami walked through the door and stepped into the dark bedroom to stop and watch Yugi who was still sleeping soundly on the bed, curled up like a little kitten deep beneath the covers. He smiled softly as he watched the sleeping boy, but stopped staring to walk over to the window. With one flick of his wrists, the curtains pulled back to allow sunshine to brighten up the room.

Yugi groaned as the light hit him, and immediately he turned away from the glare of the sun.

"C'mon, get up. Get up!" Yami urged, going up to the side of the bed to prod Yugi awake.

Yugi groaned again and unwilling he sat up to shoot Yami a pout and an annoyed glance. He yawned and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as Yami laughed quietly, only to stop and step away from the bed when he saw that Grandpa entered the room.

"Hey, you're up!" Grandpa exclaimed happily as he sat down on the bed. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Okay…" Yugi answered, widening his eyes to stop himself from falling back to sleep.

"That's good," Grandpa said before reaching up to Yugi's forehead to take the off the Band-Aid that was covering the boy's wound. Yugi winced as Grandpa pulled it off.

"Does it still hurt?" Grandpa wondered, throwing the bloodied bandage into the dustbin.

"A little," Yugi responded, and he cried out gently as Grandpa rubbed the prescribed ointment over the cut.

"Okay, don't worry. It's getting better," Grandpa soothed as he put another Band-Aid over the cut. "C'mon, time to go and get dressed. Today's school. You already missed quite a few days and your friends probably missed you," he said before packing the first aid box up and leaving the room.

Yugi crawled out of bed and made his way to the bathroom as soon as Grandpa left, and watching the younger one enter the bathroom, Yami ran to the door and peeked to make sure. Once he assured himself that the coast was clear, he followed Yugi into the bathroom.

Yami stood behind Yugi at the white sink, watching curiously as Yugi picked up a toothbrush and began to brush his teeth. Slowly, Yami also reached out and took a toothbrush from the press overhead. He glanced at it and then at Yugi before he began to brush his teeth as well, slowly at first but normally after a while. Yugi glanced at the older one from the corner of his eyes, and couldn't help but hide the small smile that graced his lips.

Sitting at the dining table after Yugi had finished washing his face, the two sat and waited for Grandpa to serve breakfast.

"What would you like to eat, Yugi?" Grandpa called from the kitchen. Yugi was about to reply when Yami suddenly stopped him.

"Pancakes," Yami whispered quickly and eagerly to Yugi. Yugi grinned.

"Pancakes!" Yugi told Grandpa.

Grandpa gave him a look. "Really?" he asked, walking up to Yugi.

"Yes!" Yugi said with certainty.

"But you never even finish one!" Grandpa said. "Plus, you just came out of the hospital, so I'll make you something light. How about a sandwich?" Grandpa offered happily before walking back to the kitchen.

"No, pancakes," Yami whispered to Yugi in his ear. Yugi turned around after nodding to Yami.

"No, Grandpa. I want pancakes!" Yugi cried out.

Grandpa gave him a look again, but finally gave in. "Okay, but you have to eat it all!"

Yugi and Yami nodded in agreement.

It didn't take long for Grandpa to place a pancake on Yugi's plate. Mouth's watering, the two boys dug in. It was split in half in a blink of an eye, Yami taking his and scarfing it down as Yugi did the same. As soon as he was done, Yami turned to Yugi with a look that screamed… more.

"Grandpa! Another one!" Yugi called out.

Grandpa's eyes widened. "A-another one?!" he exclaimed. Seeing Yugi's nod, he couldn't help but raise his eyebrows in shock before he started on the other pancake.

By the time Yugi and Yami finished fully eating the first one, Grandpa brought the second one.

"Here," Grandpa said, placing the pancake on the plate.

Yami quickly dug in, and Yugi giggled, the sight of seeing the ghost stuff his face with pancakes too much of a precious scene to miss. A thought then crossed Yugi's mind, and he looked at Yami curiously.

"Hey, Yami," he began, watching the spirit.

"Huh?" Yami replied, looking up as he dropped another piece of pancake into his mouth.

"How is it that you can touch some things, but you can't touch other things? You can touch the ball, dress up in a bear costume, you can touch me, but when I fell you couldn't. How come?" Yugi watched as Yami stilled his eating, staring at the table in deep thought with regret plastered on his face.

"I have the ability to stop you fall, Yugi. I had many ways on how I could have protected you. I should have done something, but I panicked. I couldn't think straight, that's why." Yami frowned. "I'm sorry."

Yugi sighed and gave Yami a reassuring smile. "That's okay, Yami. We're past that now. I just want to know why you can do it sometimes, and not at other times."

Yami looked up at the ceiling and then back down at the plate before replying. "I have to be focused," he said, looking at Yugi. "If I don't focus, I can't do anything. Mu magic won't work. It takes a lot of practice to hone in on the ability, but all it takes is focus. That's why. I got scared, didn't focus, and that's why you passed right through me. And just like that night too with the boxes. You were being so troublesome and I was so caught up with dealing with you, that I lost my concentration on the box and turned it all towards you. Thus, making all the boxes crash to the ground."

"Oh," Yugi drawled, eating the last bit of his pancake. "I understand now."

Yami nodded, then looked at Yugi with a grin and pointed to his plate. Knowing what the ghost wanted, Yugi happily gave in to his friend's request.

"Grandpa! MORE!"

Grandpa huffed. "Okay!" he cried, and he started on the third, still unsure as to how his sick Yugi was eating so much pancakes when during his health he could barely eat one.

Yugi and Yami were laughing uncontrollably, too amused by the old man's reactions.

Grandpa brought the third one and headed back into the kitchen, but he barely reached the kitchen when he heard Yugi's voice once again.

"Grandpa! Another one!"

Grandpa's eyes widened in shock and he shot Yugi a look of disbelief. He felt like facepalming himself, but he instead chose to get out of this mess by using one of Yugi's old tricks.

"No! There's no more flour!" he yelled, and stormed off into the kitchen for hopefully the last time. Luckily Yugi asked for nothing more, and Grandpa was now able to clean up. As he did so though he kept mumbling about a certain little child eating so much.

* * *

Yugi walked upstairs and went straight into Yami's room after he was done helping his Grandpa in the kitchen. The spirit had disappeared right after breakfast so Yugi decided to go find Yami and say goodbye until later. Entering the room, he paused and took an uncertain look around before spotting Yami sleeping on his rocking chair, snoring softly.

Yugi walked up to him and gently placed a blanket over him. Yugi giggled when he saw that Yami's mouth was opened as he slept, and using a finger Yugi pushed the spirit's jaw up. As soon as he pushed it up though, it fell back down. Yugi grinned and was about to do it again when an idea dawned on him. Without hesitating he ran out of the room to get everything that he needed. Yami's opened mouth before he tried to keep Yami's mouth shut by pushing his jaw upwards.

Yugi returned in no time, bounding into the room with just as much speed when he had left.

"Yami!" he shouted, and Yami shot up, his eyes opening swiftly and he looked at Yugi with alarm.

"What? What? What is it?" he asked, rubbing his eye as he stood up, looking at the blanket with an odd expression before leaving it on the chair. He was roughly grabbed by Yugi and pulled out of the room without a word from the child.

"Yugi? What are you doing?" he asked as Yugi took him into his room, but Yugi didn't reply. He just dropped him on to the bed and forced him to lean back.

"Stay still," was all Yugi said, and Yami watched as Yugi reached down to pull out the first aid box.

"Yugi, what-" he asked again, but Yugi just shushed him and pushed him back, and began to clean his wound. Yami winced.

"Ow!" he cried, pushing Yugi's hand away.

"Yami, stay still!" Yugi repeated, and Yami fell quiet as he watched the young one put ointment on the cut. He winced and continued to cry out in pain and Yugi dealt with all the other cuts and bruises, and the boy had to still scold him every time he wiggled.

It didn't take long for Yugi to finish, and while Yami nursed the sharp pain, Yugi grabbed Yami's hand and set him on the floor, taking a nail clipper and holding Yami's hand.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Yami exclaimed, pulling away.

"I'm getting rid of those dirty things," Yugi said, motioning to the spirit's nails, and he grabbed Yami's hand again.

Yami pulled away, and once more Yugi took his hand and held on tightly as he cut his nails. Yami cried out some more and complained like a little child, but Yugi didn't mind mothering the spirit. He glared and shushed him like a mother, ordering him to sit still and remain quiet. Yami pouted and obeyed silently, not liking the annoyance that crossed the little boy's face.

After a good twenty minutes of torture for Yami, Yugi left to get himself dressed for school. Yami had disappeared once again, and not having any idea as to where Yami had run off to, Yugi just shrugged, knowing that he probably went to sleep in some corner again.

As Yugi stood in front of the mirror as he put his tie on, he saw Yami walk up and stand behind him. Yugi's eyes widened, too in shock as he took Yami's in from head to toe. Spinning around in surprise, a huge smile broke out on his face.

"Wow, Yami! You look great!" Yugi exclaimed, eyeing Yami from every corner. Yami just stood and smiled awkwardly, his face reddening from Yugi's never ending praises.

Anyone who saw Yami's before and after pictures could easily tell that he definitely showered. His face was no longer darkened, but instead looking bright and quite healthy. He wore black jeans, a white dress shirt which was slightly unbuttoned at the top that showed a grey shirt underneath, and the sleeves were pulled up to his elbows with sneakers on his feet. As for jewelry, a wristband adorned his right hand and the left hand was covered with various bracelets and other jewelry. And best of all, nothing was old or rotting or torn! Atleast, it didn't look like it was...

"Where did you get those clothes?!" Yugi exclaimed, circling Yami.

"Oh, they're mine," Yami said, looking at Yugi.

Yugi stopped and stared at Yami. "But aren't they supposed to be old and half eaten by bugs?!"

Yami shook his head. "Nah, I took care of them. I've only had then a few months too. Someone… brought these ones back," Yami said, a slight frown on his face.

"What do you mean?" Yugi asked gently, knowing that tone. Yami had only used it once, but Yugi could never forget.

"Oh, nothing. Just a… relative brought them back."

"I bet they missed you, huh? Didn't you say 'hi' or something?" Yugi asked, stilling as he looked up into Yami's crimson eyes which were avoiding his own.

Yami shook his head. "No, they, didn't really like me much."

"Oh..." he said softly, frowning.

"So! Don't you have school?!" Yami exclaimed suddenly, trying to avoid the topic.

Yugi's eyes lit up, smiling a little. "Yeah," he said, and he watched as Yami turned around and left the room.

Yugi watched the spirit leave, and as soon as he was gone, the frown fell on his face once more. Yami never spoke about his past. He didn't say anything at all. Not how he died, not of his family, not even why he was here. Yami just didn't want to say anything, until today. What he said just now was the most Yugi had ever heard of his family. It's fine that Yami didn't want to talk about it. He can wait for Yami to say It himself. But, he couldn't wait too long. Yami was clearly upset about something. He was hiding something and it was killing him in the inside. Yugi couldn't bear to his friend, his brother, in that state. He'll wait for now, but if Yami didn't say something soon, he would have to do something to find out for himself. He had to make Yami happy. Not sad. And that was a promise.

"Yugi? Coming?" Yami asked, stepping back into the room. Yugi wiped the worry off his face and followed with a smile, nodding.

"Are you coming to school with me?" he asked playfully, holding Yami's cold hand. Yami nodded, brushing the boy's hair with a smile.

"Of course."

Yami had never felt so happy before in a very long time. Yugi was truly a special child, and he wished that the boy would never leave his side. He didn't want to be alone anymore. Yugi will be with him, forever.

* * *

 **There! End of the chapter! I hoped you liked the mushy moment and Yami's new do! Tell me what you think by leaving a wonderful review. C'mon people! Don't be shy! I don't bite xD**

 **Anyways… next chapter coming soon.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Wow, just, wow. I got tons of reviews, haven't I? xD We zoomed past fifty in a blink. In one day! Thank you so much to my awesomesauce reviewers whose kind words inspire and encourage me to continue updating. You all rock! :D I will update again tomorrow just because I am so ecstatic and happy! But that doesn't mean you should stop reviewing, nuh uh. Keep em coming! Please?**

 **Anyways, I hope you all like this chapter. Yami and Yugi goes to school, and we get to meet more new characters! Or, one. He's a blondie that you all love and adore. :3**

 **Oh! And we're halfway through the story! There are nineteen chapters, and this is chapter nine. So, yeah. Just letting you know…**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

The Ghost of Yami Atem

Chapter 9

* * *

"So much kids..." Yami groaned to himself as he looked around the playground, watching all the children that ran around the school yard.

Yugi giggled at the sight of Yami's worried face, the spirit's eyes holding a slight hint of fear as the kids dangled from the monkey bars before proceeding to chase each other crazily across the field.

"Aw c'mon Yami. Don't be such a grouch!" Yugi scolded playfully, trying his hardest to keep his voice down because if anyone saw him they would think that he was insane talking to himself.

"I can't believe you have to come here every day," Yami exclaimed, gesturing to the crowd with a nod of his head. "It's awful…" and Yami covered his ear as a shrill scream rang through the play area.

"You're acting as if you never went to school," Yugi teased back, looking up at Yami who was still staring at the children. Yugi expected Yami to say something, anything about his past in school, but he watched as Yami just huffed and said nothing, deciding to go flop down on the wooden bench nearby. Yugi shook his head sadly and went to stand in front of the ghost. "Yami…" but he then stopped midsentence, noticing a shadow that loomed over him.

"Well, whatd'ya know! Yugi's finally lost it! Look, he's talking to his imaginary friend, again."

Loud laughing were heard after that comment, and Yugi clenched his fists when he realised exactly who was standing behind him. Staring at Yami who was looking at him worriedly, Yugi tried his hardest to calm down and just ignore the two boys.

"I bet he's talking to the same ghost boy who haunts the house. Say Yugi, what new story are you going to tell us today? He played catch with you?" the boys burst out laughing. "I bet you've never even seen him yet?" the boy continued to tease, and at the comment, Yami rose an eyebrow only for his gaze to snap back to Yugi who shouted.

"Of course I saw him, Joey!" Yugi exclaimed, turning around to stare at the dirty blond haired boy. Honey coloured eyes widened in mock surprise, turning to his friend to grin.

"What idiot would actually believe that?" Joey said, chuckling.

"It's true! I saw him, and it's true that he's my friend now!" Yugi cried.

"Joey, I think he lost it," the other boy said, putting a hand on Joey's shoulder.

"You're right, Tristan," Joey said, and he turned back to Yugi to glare down at him. "No one has ever seen the ghost, Yugi," he grounded out seriously. "What makes you think he'll be friends with some wimp like you?"

"I'm not a wimp!" Yugi exclaimed, pursing his lips tightly, and Yugi spun around when Tristan dropped down on the bench. Yami jumped out of the way before he was sat on and stood next to Yugi, watching the boys curiously.

"Yugi, are you okay? Are these your friends?" Yami asked, completely unsure about the boys. Yugi however said nothing, his eyes locked on the two boys.

It was then Joey's turn to sit down next to Tristan on the bench, and together the two grabbed one of Yugi's arm and pulled him down, forcing his to sit squished between them. Yami continued to watch unsurely, making no move because of the reassuring gaze Yugi quickly shot him.

"I bet the ghost is really old..." Joey drawled, looking at Tristan with wide eyes.

Yami's mouth hit the ground at the comment. "Hey! Who are you calling old?! I'm only sixteen, mind you!" Yami exclaimed angrily, only to stop and go off into his own little world. "Well, I would be twenty right now if I wasn't dead... But HEY!"

Even though Joey and Tristan didn't hear Yami's outburst, Yugi sure did. He was having a hard time holding in his laughter, but in the end he allowed a smile to escape.

"Hey, what are you smiling about?!" Joey asked, facing the shorter boy. Yugi was happy to answer the oblivious boy's question.

"I think Yami isn't all that happy about you calling him old."

Joey and Tristan looked at Yugi, then at each other, and then burst out laughing.

"Haha! You even know his name?!" Joey cried. "And he's here, huh? Where, I don't see him anywhere!" Joey said, and he waved his arms around, looking for the ghost.

Yami rolled his eyes as the blond completely missed his location, and Yugi did the same.

"You'll see what I mean one day," Yugi just said softly, secretly casting Yami a knowing glance. Yami returned it with a smirk.

Tristan laughed. "Oh yeah, we'll see alright."

"Yeah, we'll see you make a fool out of yourself," Joey finished as they laughed once again.

Yugi shot the two an annoyed glare, but then a thought came to mind, one he should have voiced a long time ago. "What do you two want with me anyways?!" he snapped angrily, looking back and forth between the two.

"Nah, just wanted to say hi," Joey said cheekily.

"I doubt it," Yugi said, mostly to himself before looking at the two. "Your hellos usually means that you want to say something, and or do something to me."

Joey grinned.

"Aw he knows us so well!" Tristan teased, giving Yugi's shoulder a shove.

"Well yes, there is something we wanna say..." Joey trailed off.

After a few seconds of silence, Yugi cried out. "What?!"

Joey snickered. "The sports competition is next week, and I'm totally going to win it. Just wanted to let you know," he boasted.

"Yeah!" Tristan exclaimed. "Joey won it last year, and he's gonna do it again. You'll always be second place Yugi. Remember gym class last week? You'll always be at the end, or lower, depending on how worse you get," and the both of them then hi-fived each other, squishing Yugi even further.

"Okay, why are you telling me though?!" Yugi cried from the middle. Joey and Tristan looked at him before they burst out laughing, again. It seemed to Yami that everything Yugi said was an absolute joke to the two boys. They were quite annoying, that he had to agree, but harmless. Yugi seemed to be alright handling it on his own. He was always a fierce little boy.

"Because! You signed up for the competition, haven't you? With your skills you're bound to lose, so just back out, loser!" Loud laughter soon filled Yugi's ears.

"I am not a loser!" Yugi shouted. "And I won't back out. You're just scared that I might beat you! I have all this week and next week to practice. I'll beat you and show you that I am not a loser," Yugi cried.

"Yeah right. That's what you keep saying," Joey said, and Yugi fumed.

"You know, the prize is a cool red bike! And first place blue ribbon," Tristan said.

"I'm going to win it, and you'll bow down to me, Yugi Moto!" Joey declared, and the two continued to laugh hysterically as Yugi glared and pushed the two away from him before getting up and walking away, stomping and muttering as he walked up to the front door of the school.

"I'll show them. I'll show them all," Yugi said to himself angrily as he swung the doors open. "Then we'll see who's bowing down to who!"

Yami ran up to him and put a hand on the little boy's shoulder.

"Who were they, Yugi?" he asked, watching as Yugi pulled him into the boy's bathroom before speaking.

"Some boys that picked on me ever since I started school here," Yugi said with an irritated look. "They're always saying how great they are, and rubbing it in my face just because I'm a little smaller than them. They are always underestimating me. I just want to shut them up, just once!" Yugi yelled.

Yami was taken aback from Yugi's tone of voice and anger, but quickly recovered seeing Yugi's determination.

"Then I guess you'll have to try harder," Yami said.

"I do! I try very hard to win! Or atleast beat Joey. But, I just never do and he wins because he's strong and taller and faster than me, while I'm just short and weird..." Yugi said sadly, trailing off.

"Yugi, you're not weird," Yami said, getting down to a knee in front of the boy. "You can be just as fast as those boys, and with a little more belief in yourself, you'll see. You'll win the race next week. I'll help you, and those boys won't ever dare to tease you again."

Yugi looked up at Yami slowly at first, and seeing the assuring look in Yami's crimson eyes, he broke out into a smile and hugged him.

"Thanks, Yami!" he cried, stepping away quickly. Yami nodded.

"Anytime."

The bell was then heard throughout the school, and in seconds the shouts of children reached their ears.

"Gotta go, Yami," Yugi said, fixing the strap of his bag. Yugi waved goodbye to Yami before going, leaving Yami smiling and waving goodbye, watching him leave. After a moment and Yugi was long gone, Yami stopped.

"Hmm, now what?" he asked himself, looking around the bathroom. His eyes then brightened as he thought of an idea. He began to giggle like an excited child before hurrying out of the bathroom. Standing in the middle of the hall as students went into their classrooms, doors being shut, Yami grinned to himself with his hands on his hips.

"Time to scare some people," he said softly, a wicked smile on his face before he vanished into a dust of smoke.

Five minutes later…

"Ghost!" the teacher screamed, and she stood back in horror to stare at the snake that was hissing at her from the chalkboard before running out of the classroom, following her student's example. In no time the entire class was screeching in the hallway.

Yami stood, laughing as he made his way out into the hall to watch the scene unfold. Several other kids came out of from their own classrooms followed by their teachers to see what the commotion was about, and the students managed to explain bits and pieces of what happened.

"Ms. Kurosawa," the Principal said, stepping forward. "What happened?"

The woman trembled. "T-The animals on the b-board ch-changed colours, and then the-the snake I drew on the board c-came to l-life, and- and… started hissing!"

The Principal widened his eyes and went into the classroom to see for himself. Looking into the classroom, he saw chairs and tables upturned form the kids racing out of the classroom as fast as possible, but on the board was just a jungle drawn in colourful chalk –in normal colours - and animals from lions, snakes, tigers, birds, etc. not seeing anything out of the ordinary, especially the smug ghost that stood next to him, the Principal shook his head and left the classroom.

"Alright, that's enough everyone!" he yelled. "Back to class! Now!" The Principal then walked up to Ms. Kurosawa who was still looking very unsure. "Ms. Kurosawa, I don't know what you and your class saw, but there is nothing wrong in the classroom. Now please, return to class." Ms. Kurosawa looked at him and sighed, wiping the sweat off her forehead, nodding.

Yami who was still watching all of this continued to laugh, only to stop and look down when he felt a hunch. He grinned when he saw Yugi looking up at him with an accusing expression.

"Yami… what did you do?" Yugi said slowly, crossing his arms. Yami chuckled.

"At first I was teaching that Joey boy a lesson in ghosts, but I guess I got a bit carried away," he laughed, watching the students slowly edge back to class. Yugi shook his head.

"Yami, I think you should go home now," Yugi said, a small smile escaping his lips.

"Aww, but Yugi," Yami whined, not wanting to end his fun so soon.

"Yami, now," Yugi said sternly, and it was then when Yami slouched, knowing he couldn't say no to Yugi.

"Oh alright…" Yami drawled, and he glanced at the still scared kids one last time. "Can I atleast scare your Grandpa?" he asked hopefully,

"Yami?!" Yugi exclaimed, and Yami chuckled.

"Just kidding," and he waved to Yugi one last time before disappearing, hopefully this time to return home. Yugi shook his head to himself, watching the spot where Yami had stood before heading back into class, the door closing behind him.

* * *

 **And there we have it! The end to another great chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did. Please tell me what you think by leaving a lovely review. Remember, review to get me give you a quick update. Trust me, they work. Two updates in 24 hours is proof! :D Done talking now. –hugs–**

 **Thanks again my awesome readers! Bye for nooooow.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Here is chapter 10! Thank you all so much for the wonderful reviews, and a big thank you to those who favourited this story and followed it. Glad to see that there are people who are interested in reading. :) I do hope you all continue to love the story until the end, and I do hope you like this chapter.**

 **And yes, I know, I know, I was supposed to have uploaded this chapter a while ago, but you see, my sister was watching the last three episodes of Black Butler 2… so, I kind of got very distracted. My excuse, I'm sorry. But the feels! My feels were everywhere! .**

 **Kay, so in this chapter Yugi gets to find out a bit of Yami's past in this. Yep, that's right! I had to switch the original chapters around. This scene was supposed to be in chapter 17, but, makes more sense here because I want Yugi to do some investigating for himself, and a whole bunch of stuff got added… It's all complicated. So anyways…**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

The Ghost of Yami Atem

Chapter 10

* * *

Thunder clapped loudly outside, the strong winds blowing strongly, bending trees and knocking over cans and propelling everything that could not stay in one place away into the air. The sky was dark, thick heavy rain clouds pouring themselves down on to the city late that night. No one dared to go outside, risking the dangers that awaited them as soon as they took a single foot out. However, indoors, the people had to deal with the wrath that the weather inflicted on to their homes.

"Yugi, start closing the windows upstairs! I'll handle the ones down here," Grandpa called out from inside the house as he shut the windows in the living area, clasping them tightly so they wouldn't open again because of the gusty winds and rain.

"Okay Grandpa!" Yugi called back, and he rushed into the bedrooms where he struggled to securely lock the windows into place. Rain had poured into the rooms from the open windows, water splattering everywhere as curtains flew up and the windows rattled loudly. Yugi watched for a second from slight fear, but snapped the panes shut before sighing in relief. Luckily the winds were on his side, so they slammed shut quite quickly. Realising that there was one more room that had windows that needed to be shut tight, he ran into Yami's room to stare at a frantic ghost who was trying to close the window. Yugi rushed up and helped him out, and together they closed them tightly.

"Thanks, Yugi," Yami said, panting.

Yugi laughed. "No problem. Be right back!" he then said before racing out again to get the windows in his bedroom closed.

Entering his room, he tried to close the windows, but the weather wasn't allowing that to happen since the window just refused to budge from the force of the wind. Yugi grunted and pulled harder until finally the window closed, and quickly he snapped the lock on it before it decided to fly open again.

Yugi wheezed as he looked at the window, now knowing his job was done. But just as he was about to leave the room, a crash was heard since the window flew open once again, the clasp on the window breaking and hitting the wall. Yugi stared at the window as rain poured in, soaking everything.

"Grandpa!" Yugi yelled, and he ran to the top of the stairs. Grandpa came running.

"What is it?!" he cried out.

"My window, it's broken!" Yugi exclaimed.

Grandpa's eyes widened and he thought quickly for a moment. "Okay, try to keep everything dry and I'll try to get something to cover the window with.

Yugi nodded. He rushed back into the room and started to grab his school stuff that were laying around so they wouldn't get wet, and then pushing his pillows under the bed along with his blanket and his school stuff just in time to see Grandpa come in with a few boards and started to board up the window. When he was done, he looked around the room and saw the wet floor and sheets and everything else that the rain managed to wreck. Grandpa sighed.

"Sorry Yugi. But I guess you can't use this room until it's cleaned up. You can sleep in my room if you like," Grandpa offered, but Yugi shook his head.

"No thanks Grandpa. I think I know where I'll sleep for the night," he grinned broadly, but Grandpa just rose an eyebrow.

"Where will you sleep then?" he asked.

"Um, in the guest room…" Yugi trailed off hopefully, not wanting to disclose his actual sleeping spot. He didn't want to reveal Yami's room just yet. And if Grandpa knew of the room already, he didn't want to alarm him. The room did look quite creepy with the junk all over the place.

He watched Grandpa nod his head, giving in, before slowly turning around and leaving. As soon as he was gone, Yugi grabbed his pillow and blanket back from under the bed and rushed out the door towards Yami's room.

Yami on the other hand was staring at the rain through the closed window before he was slammed into it, arms suddenly wrapped around his legs. Trying to move, he stumbled and fell to the ground with a big _oof_.

"Yami!" Yugi squealed as he leaned over Yami, towering above him, sitting on his torso comfortably.

Yami groaned in response as he sat up, putting all his attention on the young child who sat on top of him.

"What is it Yugi?" he asked, seeing the excited child.

"Guess what!" Yugi exclaimed.

Yami raised a brow.

"I'm sleeping here tonight!" Yugi cried.

Yami blinked. "But where?" he then asked, motioning to the extremely messy room that belonged to him. Yugi stopped and looked around with an 'Oh' expression on his face. Yami shook his head sadly with an amused smile as the little boy took in the surroundings.

"I should have thought this out more," Yugi said gloomily.

"Yes, I believe you should have," Yami said, standing up after lifting Yugi off of him.

"But where do you sleep?" Yugi asked, still not wanting to give up his sleepover.

Yami shrugged. "I don't sleep much. Usually I doze off on the old rocking chair, but that's it."

"Don't you use the bed?" Yugi then asked.

Yami smirked before he pointed towards the bed. Yugi turned around and facepalmed. The bed was covered in old boxes, dust, and who knows what else on and living in it.

"That's disgusting," Yugi said, looking it over.

"Yup," Yami agreed, but showed no expression of disgust.

"Actually, the entire room is disgusting!" Yugi exclaimed. "Look at it! I bet half of these things aren't even needed. Some are probably just garbage and there's dust and papers everywhere! Don't you clean, Yami? When was the last time you cleaned your room? You're so messy…"

Yami listened to the ranting child, and hearing those words after a long time, he allowed his mind run back to old memories, memories that would remain just that. Memories...

 _"Yami!" a little boy called out as he stood at the base of the bed, staring at his older brother's sleeping figure. "Wake up!" the tanned skin boy yelled._

 _"What?" Yami groaned, stretching as he brushed his hair from his face._

 _"Clean," the boy ordered, pointing to the clothes, books, and other things that was scattered across the floor and all over the room._

 _Yami's eyes opened slowly, blinking wearily. He sat up and took a look around his messy room before letting his gaze fall on the short, tiny boy in front of him. Arms were crossed as he tried to pull off the 'I mean business' look._

 _Yami chuckled, shaking his head at his little brother. "Okay, okay, I'll clean. But you gotta help me."_

 _The little boy's violet eyes brightened with joy, glad to spend some time with his brother. "Okay!" he exclaimed, a huge smile on his lips. Yami chuckled and hugged him tightly, feeling short arms wrap around his neck._

"Yami!"

Yami was brought back to earth with Yugi's hand waving in front of his face.

"Are you okay?" Yugi asked, looking at him with concern.

Yami nodded, smiling gently. "Yeah I'm fine," he said quietly, and he watched as Yugi nodded.

Yugi wasn't fooled though. He saw the pained look in Yami's eyes. He was thinking about something, most likely about his past. It was hurting him so why wouldn't he share it with someone? Yami trusted him, didn't he? Then why? What was Yami hiding? Maybe, maybe he should just ask. If he asked, Yami wouldn't say no, right?

"Um, Yami…" Yugi began, but he was cut short by Yami's quick suggestion that came out as soon as he spoke.

"You wanna help me clean up?" Yami suddenly asked.

Yugi stared up at Yami, and slowly he smiled. "Sure!" When Yami smiled back, Yugi knew what he had to do. He would just have to find out for himself now. He couldn't see Yami unhappy any more. He would fix this. He would make Yami happy.

"What should I do first?" Yugi asked, looking at Yami who was staring at the room with wonder.

"Um… how about we start taking out those old boxes?" Yami suggested, and Yugi nodded. He watched as Yami used his magic to pick up a few boxes before leaving the room to take then downstairs. Seeing an opportunity, Yugi quickly looked around the room in hopes of finding something.

Yami had taken a lot of boxes away in one swoop, and in a few seconds he would come back. Fortunately that gave Yugi a clearer view of the room. Looking at the bed, Yugi remembered something that he had saw the first time he came in. A little frame. Going to that corner, Yugi scanned through all the stuff only to let his eyes fall on something. He grinned, picking the old picture frame up. He saw an eye and a hand, and someone's torso, but that was it. The glass was rusted and old. He would have to clean it to see…

"Yugi, did you finish?"

Hearing Yami's voice, Yugi spun around and hid the frame behind his back. Smiling innocently, he shook his head.

"I didn't know what to pick up. The boxes were too big…" he lied, looking at Yami, hoping that he would believe him. He watched as Yami sighed and put a hand to his head.

"Oh Yugi…" the ghost drawled, a grin on his face, and Yugi noticed the grin disappearing and turning quite nervous when Yami looked down under the bed.

"Uh, Yugi, can you get a mop and broom and some cleaning supplies?" the spirit said quickly. "I will get rid of all these papers."

Curious at the tone, Yugi nodded and quickly dashed out of the room, making sure to hide the frame in his shirt as he left. He had to know what was on the frame, but he couldn't let Yami see it. Plus, he needed to see what was under the bed. Yami was hiding something there, and if he can recall properly, a few days ago he had seen Yami sitting by the bed looking at something only to quickly hide it when he showed up. Something was definitely up with those newspapers, but what?

Running into his room, Yugi stashed the frame under his pillow before running out again and making a beeline for the storeroom to grab the cleaning supplies. Carrying the mop, broom, and a bit of that nice-smelling liquid that Grandpa used to clean the house, he made his way back to Yami's room. Hopefully Yami wasn't done cleaning up the papers.

As he entered the room, Yugi saw that Yami had a few bags already filled to the brim with newspapers and trash, and looking at the bed Yugi's heart sank as he dropped the cleaning supplies on the floor. Underneath the bed was totally cleared out. Now what would he do?

"Oh, Yugi! There you are." Looking up, Yugi met Yami's slightly unnerved eyes.

"I brought the cleaning supplies," Yugi said, looking at the supplies he dropped at the floor before looking back up at Yami who was tying up another bag. Yami nodded.

"Thanks. But, I was wondering if you…um…" Yami trailed off, and he bit his lip as he stared to the ground.

"What is it?" Yugi pressed. He watched Yami sigh, shaking his head.

"Ah, it's nothing," the spirit finally said. Yugi refused to take that as an answer.

"No Yami, tell me."

"I was wondering if you saw a little frame around. I was cleaning up some personal things, and that picture is the only one I have of…" Yami went quiet, and Yugi caught him glancing at a box that was next to the window. Feeling bad about taking the picture and having to lie to Yami, Yugi shook his head.

"No, sorry, I didn't see any pictures," he said, and he watched as Yami's face fell.

"Okay…" Yami then dropped the last bit of trash into the big garbage bag and used his magic to lift them up. "I'll take these down now. You're Grandpa's in the kitchen, right?"

Yugi nodded.

"Okay, be right back." And with that, Yugi watched as Yami left once again.

Slumping against a wall, Yugi stared at the box that Yami had carefully put away. Apparently the picture he took was the only one Yami had… of what? Or who? He would just have to wait until he cleaned it to find out. And from Yami's expression, he was very sad about not finding it either. Maybe it was a family member? Thinking that, Yugi just felt even worse. He didn't want to take it, but Yami had left him no other choice. Now, he just had to figure out what Yami was hiding in the box.

"Okay, so all the big stuff is cleared out! Now, just the little things are left."

Turning around, Yugi saw Yami enter the room with a wide smile, but underneath Yugi saw the distress. Yami was good at covering things up, but as for hiding it from a curious little boy who stared at him whenever he could, he saw the differences between what's real and fake. And the happiness coming from the spirit was absolutely fake.

"Coming Yugi?" Yami asked, and Yugi snapped out of his thoughts and smiled up at Yami who was holding a medium sized box. Pushing himself off from leaning against the wall, Yugi nodded.

"Let's do this."

Soon, the two of them were carrying the boxes out and dropping them downstairs next to the door to be thrown out. Yami used his magic to pick up all the hidden trash and big piles of waste, dropping them in garbage bags and sealing it before setting them with the others. Yugi watched with fascination as Yami then destroyed all the cobwebs and dusted off the dresser and wardrobes and everything else without even a single touch, while he reached all the little places and cleaned off the decorations.

They laughed and joked around as they tidied up, trying to be as quiet as possible because Grandpa had gone to sleep a while ago. In no time though they stopped and looked around, satisfied with their work even though they were both covered in dust from head to toe.

The room was much cleaner than before. The walls were a peach colour, albite kind of dull and faded since it had been a few years since it was repainted. The floor was a smooth, cheery red wood with just a few scratches here and there. They actually found another window hidden behind a mountain of boxes, and they even recovered the closet and dresser which was hidden away. Both were a white set with a smooth, glossy finish which silver, plastic handles. It was a bit beat up, but still gorgeous to look at. The bed was the same white with white leather backing and borders, a nice Queen size at that. The only thing was the bedsheets which were torn and completely destroyed.

"I forgot there was a study area in here..." Yami said, looking at the now bare area where a desk stood.

Yugi giggled. "Of course. From all the trash that was moved from there, I expected something to be hidden."

Yami nodded and watched as Yugi ran up and grabbed the pillows and sheets off the bed.

"I'm going to throw these out now. Who knows what's on them. You can dust the bed and spray it in case of any bugs," Yugi said, throwing Yami a big spray can before running out the room.

Yami looked at the can before he took a deep breath, then blew all the dust were in the room and on the furniture out the window, then closed it quickly, making sure to not get the room any wetter. Thankfully the wind had died down, but it was still raining quite heavily outside.

Yami continued to spray the corners of the room, edges, and the walls for the bugs. He then sprayed the bed, stepping back quickly. He couldn't breathe in the air so he wasn't affected by the strong smell, but Yugi was. When Yugi walked into the room and breathed, he dashed back out again, the door slamming shut behind him. Yami chuckled. After he was done, he threw the empty can away and stepped outside with Yugi, locking the door.

"That was horrible..." Yugi mumbled from the floor a little distance away.

Yami sat down next to him. "Yep, but it was worth it. I've never seen my room cleaner! Now I remember why I loved spending so much time in there. I even found my books that I had assumed to be gone with the trash."

Yugi was silent before he spoke. "So, what now?"

Yami looked at him for a second, thinking. "Well, we wait for a few minutes until the bugs or whatever gets killed, then I can just get rid of them, air the room out a little, then we can start cleaning again," Yami said, shrugging.

"So we're almost done?" Yugi asked.

"Yup!" Yami said.

Yugi nodded. Yami still hadn't said a word. Oh well, now he knew where Yami kept his secrets. They were hidden in that box which he put away next to the closet. As much as he hated to say it, or even think it he would have to take a peek when Yami wasn't around.

"I think it's ready now," Yami said, and Yugi looked on as Yami stood up and began to head towards the door. "You stay there. I'll tell you when it's okay to come in."

Yugi sat in silence before he got up and went to get some new sheets and extra pillows. Grabbing the first set he saw, he went back to the room to see Yami standing in front of the doorway.

"Here, we need these," Yugi said.

Yami ruffled his hair. "Okay, help put it on the bed."

Yugi and Yami both took two ends, covering the bed with the sheet. Then, another sheet before dropping the pillows on the bed and spreading the blanket on it as well.

"There! Done!" Yugi exclaimed, stretching. He then scratched. "I think I need a bath now..."

"Okay. You do that," Yami said, and Yugi left the room.

Closing the door, Yugi padded towards his room, knowing that Yami wouldn't come and bother him while he was taking a shower. It was the perfect time to clean up that picture frame and see who was on it. Leaving the frame on the bed, Yugi grabbed a t-shirt from his drawer and took his water bottle still filled with water. Pouring it on the shirt before squeezing a bit, Yugi began to clean, one leg crossed on the bed while the other hung down.

Gently Yugi dabbed the cloth against the glass front, trying his hardest not to break the thing, but it was extremely difficult. The glass was damaged, and Yugi had no idea how to take the picture out of the frame. So he was left with cleaning.

A grin broke out on his face when a part came off, and wiping some more, slowly but surely more of the grim came away and on to the cloth. It didn't take him long to find someone else's torso, a bit smaller than the first, and golden bangs.

"Yami…" Yugi said in awe, staring at the first face that popped up on the left side of the frame. However, Yugi stopped and stared. The Yami in the picture had purple eyes.

" _The owners of the mansion were the Atem family. Somehow, one of the sons died in there when he was around sixteen or seventeen… he had amethyst eyes just like yours, and the same hairstyle…"_

The words of the taxi driver returned to Yugi memory, and with that he gazed at the image fondly.

"So, Yami, you're the person that died in this house. Your name is Yami Atem, isn't it?" Yugi said to himself, wiping the rest of the glass slowly.

In the picture, Yugi couldn't help but notice the bright smile on Yami's face, and as Yugi continued to clean, he saw a pair of smaller legs hanging off what seemed to be a picnic table. Yami was standing, towering over the person. But, who was the other person in the picture? Wiping quickly, Yugi stopped to gaze at it with shock as soon as he was done, the wet cloth falling out of his hand and on to the floor.

The other person in the picture, looked exactly like him.

* * *

 **So there you have it! Chapter ten at its finest. I hope you enjoyed reading it, and if you did please leave a wonderful review to see a continuation later today, or sometime tomorrow. Yay! I'm getting back to my desired schedule! :D You all are amazing.**

 **Until chapter 11… See ya! Yugi delves in more on Yami's past, and the big race begins! Oh, and can anyone guess who the person in the picture is? And no, it's not actually Yugi. Hint: Yami is tanned skin, while Yugi is pale skinned. The picture was taken when he was alive. Yami met Yugi when he died. So, who is the mysterious boy?**


	11. Chapter 11

**Thaaaank yooooou, everyyyyy oooone! You all are the best! SO MANY REVIEWS?! I just had to update ASAP. But, I was busy these two days so I am very, extremely sorry for taking so long. It will not happen again. Promise! :D So, here it is, the next chapter. I hope you all like it, and I'll be keeping this author note short. You're welcome.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

The Ghost of Yami Atem

Chapter 11

* * *

Wide eyed, Yugi stared at the photo in front of him. Disbelief was plastered on his face as he scanned the little boy that clung to Yami so childishly, and allowed Yami to hold him so lovingly. Tanned skin, just like Yami's, and bright purple eyes with the tint of pink to them. They were wide, just like Yugi's, but that wasn't all the little boy shared with Yugi. They had the exact same multi-coloured hair. Golden blond bangs and black hair with red bordering the outside.

Setting the picture down on the bed, Yugi grazed his finger over the boy, and gave the Yami in the picture a long look. He was smiling, genuinely. And looking closely Yugi saw no scars, pain, and no sadness.

Looking up to gaze across his room, Yugi let his mind wander, biting his bottom lip in confusion. What on earth had happened to change Yami so much? Who's the boy in the picture? They looked like they were related, so was the boy Yami's little brother? And if so, where was the boy now? What happened to Yami's family?

Shaking his head furiously, his mind clogged with confusion, Yugi stood up and held the frame with the two brother's tightly. He was tired of being patient. He had to talk to Yami about everything before he worried himself to death. And even if Yami didn't want to tell him, the spirit couldn't possibly avoid the topic of the picture. He couldn't brush it off and say it's nothing because Yugi had it, and saw it, so it clearly couldn't be "nothing".

Stepping out of the room, Yugi marched back to Yami's room and pushed the door open. Once entering he scanned the room only to let his eyes immediately fall on an empty room, Yami nowhere in sight. Yugi's heart began to pound. What if Yami had saw him? What if Yami had followed him to his room without him knowing? Or, what if he knew and left because he was so mad? No, that couldn't happen. Yami wouldn't just leave. He made it clear when they had moved in. Yami said that this was his home, and that he would never leave it no matter what.

Then, where was Yami?

After a while of staring around the room, Yugi looked at the picture and back at the room. He had to do something, but what? He really needed to know who the boy in the picture was. He had so much questions, but without Yami he had no idea-

Sobbing.

Yugi's ears perked at the sudden sound that he had barely caught a hint of. Someone was crying.

Turning around, he tried to pinpoint exactly where the sound was coming from. It was definitely coming from inside the room, but where? Yugi's heart started to ache more when he realised that the crying in the room could only come from one person. Yami. Yami was upset somewhere, in tears alone, and Yugi couldn't even find him.

Looking around the room once more, Yugi caught sight of a ghostly shoe, hidden in the corner of the dresser and the wall at the far end of the room. Gulping and hearing the soft drag on something, Yugi stepped forward and towards the broken spirit on the floor. Looking down, Yugi saw that it was definitely Yami, and seeing him standing there, Yami quickly wiped his tears away and desperately tried to hide the box that he had been sifting through.

"Yugi, ah, what are you doing here? Weren't you supposed to go take a bath?" Yami asked, looking up and smiling at him. Yugi didn't smile. He just held the frame tightly behind his back.

"Yami, what's going on? Why are you crying?" he asked. He already knew the answer to that. Yami had been looking through the box filled with his memories, so obviously that would make him upset.

"Crying? Oh, uh, it's nothing really. I'm just being silly-"

"Because of that photo you lost?"

Yugi didn't allow Yami to finish his badly told lie. And seeing how terrible the spirit looked, it was time for them to have a serious talk.

"Photo? Yes, that photo. Yeah, um, I'm pretty upset about that. I lost it and it was very special to me and-"

"Here," Yugi said, and he pulled out the photo and showed it to Yami who looked up at him with astonishment. Holding it gently, Yugi watched as Yami brushed his finger over the boy before hugging the frame, more tears slipping down his cheeks. Sitting down, Yugi struggled to keep his own tears.

"Yami, please, tell me what's going on? Please tell me something. I need to know. You can't keep crying alone like this. You're hurting yourself like this, and I hurt seeing you like this. Please. Tell me. I know you're lonely, and I know that the boy means something to you. If you talk about it, maybe I can help. If you lost him, maybe I can get him back for you," Yugi pleaded, tears of his own rolling down his cheeks as he watched Yami who remained unresponsive.

"Where did you get this?" Yami managed to say after a while, and Yugi just took a breath and said it.

"I took it when we were cleaning." He watched as Yami looked up at him with shocked eyes. "I'm sorry, Yami. But, I really needed to know something. Anything that I can possibly use to get you to open up and understand you. You know everything about me, but I hardly know anything about you. I want to help you but I can only do that when you let me in, Yami. Really."

Nodding, Yami took a long look at the picture before gently putting it into the box. "He's my brother," Yami said, wiping his tear tracks away. "And he can't come back, so there's no use talking about it."

"But Yami!" Yugi exclaimed, standing as Yami got to his feet. "You can't keep it bottled up like this. It's hurting you."

"I know," Yami said quietly, walking towards the bed before getting it slowly. "I can't keep it in, but I know that I can't say it. It's in the past now, so it's better if you and I forgot about it all." Crawling into the bed too, Yugi sat and looked down at Yami who burrowed himself under the covers.

"Yami, even though you say that, we both know you haven't forgotten. So, don't you think that it's time you stopped forgetting and tried to accept whatever it is and move on? You're killing yourself like this," Yugi exclaimed, and he watched as Yami closed his eyes.

"I'm already dead, so I can't feel anymore pain. There's not much else to feel or live for, and frankly I don't want to talk about it anymore," Yami snapped a bit harshly, and Yugi laid down quietly, worry laced in his eyes.

"Yami…"

Opening his eyes, Yami stared into Yugi's hurt looking ones and sighed. "Yugi, I'm sorry, but I just don't want to talk about it. I promise, I will tell you one day, but for now can we just forget it. Stop worrying. I'll be fine."

"Promise?" Yugi asked, staring at Yami. Yami would never tell him. It was just an empty promise so that he would be quiet. Yami's didn't want to speak about it, so there's not much he can do anymore. He can't force Yami.

"I promise," Yami assured, and he patted Yugi's head with a smile. Seeing Yugi nod and close his eyes while pulling the sheet up to his neck, Yami sighed and reached over to turn the lamps off, plunging the room into darkness.

* * *

"Okay, Yugi? Are you ready for this?" Yami asked, looking at Yugi who was shifting back and forth on his legs nervously.

"I hope I am," Yugi replied, staring at the other students while casting side glances to the crowd of parents who had come to watch their kids compete. "I just want it to start already," he said impatiently.

Looking up, Yami watched as Yugi gave two thumbs up to his Grandpa who was sitting in the bleachers, surrounded by other kids who weren't competing but came to watch the show and see who will be the final winner.

"Remember the competitions that you'll be put through?" Yami asked next, trying to get Yugi focused. All week the child had been practicing non-stop, absolutely desperate to defeat Joey and prove that he was just as strong and capable as the blonde. The only time Yugi had actually taken a break was last night, but according to Yugi the cleaning was exercise as well. Hopefully after the game was over, Yugi would go back to his playful, funny, teasing ways.

"Yup!" Yugi exclaimed, turning to Yami. "We begin with a track race, long jump, then we end it off with hurdles which will decide the winner."

"Good!" Yami said, and he looked up when a loud sound blared across the field, followed by a loud voice.

"Okay, everyone! Welcome to Domino Primary's annual race! The first race of the day is about to begin! So, I want all competitors to the starting line!"

Yami looked back at Yugi with a fighting expression. "You ready?"

"Ready!" Yugi shouted.

"Great! Try your best and kick some Joey butt!"

Yugi nodded furiously, grinning before he ran off to take his place at the starting line. And as if all odds were against him, he saw that Joey was just up ahead of him on the other line. In his starting position, the blonde looked back and smirked at him.

"You're going down, Moto!" Joey sneered, sticking his tongue following the remark.

Yugi rolled his eyes and tried to ignore the boy by concentrating ahead, waiting to the siren to go off. A few seconds later it was heard, the sound ripping across the entire area. Everyone took off with the sound, and Yugi watched with irritation as Joey ran straight ahead, taking first place. He ran faster, trying to catch up.

Yami kept his eyes on the race, his eyes widening as he saw how fast Joey took off, easily snagging first place. But, he kept calm, knowing that Yugi was not too far behind and was only in second place. However, other kids weren't far behind. He just hope Yugi would be able to atleast keep the position he has for now until he caught up to Joey.

"Go Yugi!" he cheered loudly, encouraging the youngster, but inside he was praying hard that the boy would win. If the boy didn't win, oh good grief, he wouldn't stop pouting about it for days. Yugi could be very competitive when he wants to be.

Yugi ran as fast as he could, and he looked at Joey to see that he was only a few inches farther than him. From the look on the taller boy's face, it was clear that he wasn't happy with that. Well, he was going to win. This was his moment to prove himself. Nothing can stop him!

Yugi saw the finish line coming into view, and seeing the same Joey pushed himself to run faster. Joey was laughing as he ran, but luck seemed to have been on Yugi's side since Joey stumbled a bit, making Yugi catch up to him. Joey grumbled angrily to see that they were now neck and neck, and the finish line was just getting closer and closer.

Yugi used all his strength to push himself to run even faster, and he managed to pass Joey by a little bit. However, Joey was pushing himself too. Both boys were breathing hard, skin layered with sweat as their legs ached painfully.

Yami had his eyes glued to the race, not taking his eyes off Joey and Yugi. His heart hammered as he watched the boys cross the finish line, other students slowing down as they saw defeat, and Yami watched with a bit of sympathy as some of them flopped on to the ground as soon as they crossed the line from tiredness.

"And the winner is... Yugi Moto!" the emcee shouted. The crowd cheered, Yami cheering the loudest as Yugi walked up to him before dropping down on the bench. Drinking some water quickly, Yugi smiled at Yami as he tried to get his breathing back to normal rate.

"Yugi! You did it!" Yami shouted.

"We did it!" he cried.

Joey on the other hand was out of breath, hands on his knees as he shot Yugi a glare, only to take his anger out on Tristan who went up to comfort him. Yugi shook his head as the two broke out into argument, only to see Tristan stomp away angrily to sit by himself and shoot Joey dark glares of his own.

After a ten minute break, it was time for the second round. Long jumping. Yugi stood up and groaned as he looked at the sand filled area.

"Yami... I can't do this. I'm done for, I can't jump!" Yugi cried, nervousness getting to him. "We Moto's have short legs! Or, that's what Grandpa would constantly say."

"Don't worry Yugi, you'll get it," Yami encouraged, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"I hope you're right," Yugi said, giving Yami a worried look, and he flinched when the siren went off again, signaling that all the challengers should line up to wait for their turn.

Fidgeting as he walked up to get in line, Yugi internally groaned when he saw Joey in front of him. Again.

"I'll beat you this time, Moto," Joey said seriously, no longer teasing. Yugi looked at him.

"We'll see."

Students went and jumped as far as they could and Yugi watched them, his worry rising as they all jumped farther than he could ever think. It didn't take long for the line to get shorter and his turn to get closer, because in no time it was Joey's turn. He watched as Joey took a running start and jumped, jumping the farthest he had seen so far. He gulped when Joey sent him a smirk, giving him two thumbs down.

Looking at the sandpit, Yugi felt woozy. The person taking down the scores stood at the side, looking at him expectantly. Yugi felt his hands sweating, frantically trying to get his mind focused. When the siren was heard, Yugi took off and ran, before jumping as far as he could.

Yami looked on, but then winced when he saw the results.

Yugi landed on his feet, only to be forced into a crouching position. _"Atleast he didn't fall over,"_ Yami thought, but he watched with surprise as Yugi leaned forward, and fell face down into the sand. Unconsciously a hand went to Yami's head his eyes staring at a sputtering Yugi.

The crowd went silent, and Yugi just knew that he had lost. Looking up, he just dropped back down when he saw that he barely got past a meter. Joey had won this game, and Joey's cheers and cries of joy echoed in Yugi's head as he trudged towards Yami with a gloomy face, sitting down on the bench.

"Aw, c'mon Yugi! Cheer up! It was just one game, and look! You both are tied! You still have a chance to win this!" Yami said, trying to shed some positivity on the entire scenario.

Yugi looked at Yami, then looked at Grandpa who was looking at him intently, giving him a smile and thumbs up. He felt a 'little' better seeing the encouragement.

"Okay, I'll try my best to kick Joey into next week!" he cried.

"That's the spirit!" Yami cheered. "Now, go and try your best!"

Yugi nodded, and he ran off towards the next obstacle that was blocking him from his goal. The hurdles. _Oh, the irony._

"Ready to lose Yugi?!" Joey said from beside him.

Yugi rolled his eyes, unsure as to why Joey had to be beside him. Was it coincidences? For this being the third time in a row, he highly doubted it. "I'm not going to lose," Yugi said, determined. Joey however smirked, turning to look in front of him without saying another word.

The siren was heard, and the remaining competitors raced to the finish.

This was the one Yugi had been practicing the most with. By the end of his week of training, he could run and jump high enough to make over good enough heights. Yami just hoped he could do it. He had faith in him.

Yugi jumped the third one hurdle, and gasped when he almost tripped over it since it was a little higher than the two before. Joey was right alongside him, and thankfully he was having his share of troubles as well. They were both in the lead, once again tied.

"I'm going to win this, Yugi," Joey said, breathing loudly as he jumped a hurdle.

Yugi jumped one as well, completely ignoring him.

The last hurdle was soon seen, and it seemed bigger than all of the rest. Yugi wanted to win this. He had to try. Pushing himself to his limits, Yugi ran towards the last obstacle. Taking a look at Joey, Yugi saw that he looked confident too. Running faster to gather some speed, Yugi jumped as high as he could, feet landing on the ground, right foot first then left as he ran towards the finish line, a grin breaking out on his face as he did it. He could hear Yami cheering loudly.

With relief and strength and determination all the way to the end, Yugi broke the red ribbon and waved triumphantly to Yami and Grandpa who were both applauding. He did it!

Yugi looked back towards Joey to see the boy grumbling, completely angry as he stormed away. He was not happy at all, but that was his own problem. That's what he gets for underestimating Yugi Moto!

Yugi turned away and gave a big wave towards Yami. Yami waved back.

Grandpa on the other hand thought Yugi was waving at him, but then realised that something was off. The boy wasn't looking at him. He was waving to someone else, but who? Looking to see who the boy was grinning so widely at, Grandpa's eyes shot open when he saw no one there. Grandpa's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, shrugging it off as him just being blind.

"And the winner of this year's competition is, Yugi Moto!"

After drinking some more water, Yugi rushed over to collect his prize, standing proudly at the big blue ribbon was pinned on to his t-shirt.

"And, as your prize, a brand new bike!"

Happily Yugi stared at the red, shiny bike, happiness like no other surging throughout him. This had to be the best day ever.

"You did it Yugi!" Yami shouted, walking up to the boy. Refraining himself from hugging the ghost, Yugi looked at the bike and grinned

"I couldn't have done it without you, Yami. Thank you."

Yami grinned and ruffled the boy's head, and the two looked up as they saw Grandpa walking towards them, a smile of his face. Well, everything was wrapping up quite nicely. He was glad that things were finally getting back to normal.

* * *

 **Okay! So that's the end of this chapter! Hope you liked it, and please review for more!**

 **Thanks for reading! :D**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hello dear readers! How are you doing this fine day? xD I have a new chapter for you all, so I do hope you like it. I say this every chapter, don't I? Oh well. Thank you all for the wonderful reviews, favourites, and followed. It makes me super happy to see the love.**

 **This chapter, Yugi and Joey... well, let's just say Yami makes some magic to start a wonderful friendship. :D**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

The Ghost of Yami Atem

Chapter 12

* * *

"How dare he?!" Joey exclaimed angrily as he stomped through the small forest that bordered Domino City. With his hands shoved deep into his beige coloured pants, he scowled as he kicked up dirt. "How could he beat me?!" he continued to yell, proceeding to kick some poor tree.

"He probably got lucky, that's why," Tristan said, following Joey while he listened to his rant with as much patience as possible. Joey was a good guy, but he just allowed himself to be carried away with his anger way too often, making people see the bad side of him.

"That little twerp, wait til' I get my hands on him."

"And how do you expect to do that?" Tristan questioned as they came to a small clearing in the forest where the city's old well was. It hasn't been used in a long time, and peering in Tristan saw dirt and sand, leaves scattered at the bottom of the dried well. The only thing that signaled that the well was there was the grey bricks which were falling apart. The well was deep, but not that deep to cause injury. When it was out of use, it was filled up, sorta.

Joey peered into the well also, and immediately an idea formed in his head. A grin broke out on his face and Tristan watched his friend wearily.

"Like this," Joey trailed off, assuming Tristan knew what he was talking about. However, the brown hair boy had no idea.

Tristan rose an eyebrow. "Like what?" he asked, curious about the boy's plan. He may not know what the plan was, but he definitely knew that it wasn't going to be anything good, or remotely successful.

"Would you be quiet?!" Joey snapped. "And, help me get some branches!" he yelled before running off to grab some fallen leaves and branches.

"What are you gonna do with them?" Tristan asked, moving to do what the blonde said. Finding a huge branch, he picked it up from one side and dragged it across the clearing.

Joey stopped and gave Tristan the 'you gotta be kidding me' look. "Ya nimrod! We're gonna cover the well, then trick Yugi into coming here, and then we push him in!"

Tristan 'oohed' in response, and dragged the branch closer, only to stop and ask Joey another question without thinking how much it would further annoy him.

"Wouldn't it be dangerous? He might get hurt."

Joey rolled his eyes. "He won't get hurt, idiot!" he shouted as he dragged the branch, moving it to begin covering the well. Tristan arrived with his pile, and still uncertain he began to help him.

"I'm going to keep him in there until he says that I am the best and that he's a loser," Joey continued to rant, picking up more branches and taking them over to the small well. Tristan watched worriedly as joey stood at the edge, not paying any attention as to where he was stepping.

"Joey… I think you should be careful" Tristan suggested, slowing a bit to stare at Joey who was talking to himself.

"He'll be the one who will need to be careful. He's not going to get very far with that smug attitude of his. Thinks he can do whatever he wants. Ha! I'll teach him. I'll teach him good!" And once again, Joey hastily pulled a large branch and pushed it across the opening. This time he stood at the very edge, still pushing the branch further in the middle of the well.

"Joey! You can fall in!" Tristan yelled, and he dropped his branch to grab Joey who wasn't paying any attention to him.

"What's wrong with you, Tristan!?" Joey yelled, turning around, and it was at that moment when he lost his footing. As soon as his eyes met Tristan's, his left foot slipped and he fell. He tried to grab on to the branches, but because they were set in a way to make a person fall in, they were no help and Joey tumbled into the well.

"OOF!"

"ACK!"

"ARGH!"

"Joey!" Tristan yelled.

Joey hit the bottom with a thud, and painfully he managed to sit up, rubbing his head from the impact with the ground. Looking up, he saw the forest dangling above him. He groaned, covering his honey coloured eyes as sunlight shone into them.

Tristan ran over immediately. Crouching down, Tristan kneeled at the edge and looked down at Joey worriedly.

"Joey! Are you okay?!" he called out.

Joey stood up. "Yeah! Could ya get me out?!" he called back up to Tristan.

Tristan nodded. "Okay! I'll go get your dad!" he said, but just when he was about to leave, Joey yelled out to him.

"No! Tristan! Stop!" Tristan stopped and he looked at Joey again. "Don't get my dad! He's gonna kill me!" Joey cried out frantically.

"Then what should I do?!" Tristan asked.

Joey thought for a moment. "Go get a rope! You'll pull me out!"

Tristan nodded again and this time he ran off. Realising what had happened, Joey's eyes widened. "Tristan! Stop! Don't leave me here alone!"

* * *

Peddling through the forest on his new bike, Yugi made sure that the two bags on his handle weren't tossed around. His Grandpa had sent him out to pick up a few things from the store after he had begged and pleaded endlessly to go outside. His grandpa gave in after all his whining, and now that he was returning home Yugi decided to take a shortcut through the forest to get back home as soon as possible.

He looked around the small clearing he got to and paused to take a break to fix the bags properly on the handle. He couldn't risk dropping or losing the groceries because Grandpa wouldn't spare him.

Sighing, Yugi slumped against the seat. He had gotten nowhere with Yami the other day about his past. Yami only said that the boy was his brother, but he refused to talk about anything more. It was his fault. He shouldn't have pushed Yami. Even though Yami hid it, he was upset. Yami didn't want to look back into his past right now, but it was hurting him. What was he to do?

Scratching his head, Yugi put his hand back on to the handle and was about to peddle off when a sound reached his ears. He froze, and listened closely.

"Hello? Someone! Help!"

Confusion crossed Yugi's face, and his eyes scanned around the clearing. He had no idea where it was coming form, but it was close.

"Tristan!" the voice called again, and pinpointing where the sound was coming from, Yugi looked towards the well, his eyes holding curiosity.

"That sounds like... Joey?!" Yugi said out loud to himself. Deciding to investigate after hearing silence, Yugi got off of his bike and left it near a tree before walking up to the well. Once he got there, he took a peek down only to have his eyes widen with surprise.

"Joey?! What are you doing down there?!" Yugi called out.

Joey's eyes shot open out of joy when he saw that it was Yugi. "Yugi? Yugi! Yug, you gotta help me!" he yelled, now more desperate than ever to get out of the hole.

"Then, how did you get down there in the first place?!" Yugi asked.

Joey gulped nervously before trying to explain. "You won't be happy but, I was planning on pushing you down here, but I tripped and fell in instead..." Joey said, fully ashamed and embarrassed of having to admit his scheme to the one who he was planning it for.

Yugi's eyes hardened at the confession. "Oh, I see!" he called down. "Planning to throw me down there, huh?! Well, you can stay down there because I'm leaving! Serves you right. When you did a hole for someone else, better be careful because you might just fall in yourself!" Yugi yelled, before he turned around and stomped back to his bike.

"No! Yugi wait! I'm sorry!" Joey called out, a hint of panic in his voice. However, Yugi didn't turn back. With his hands clenched tightly into fists, he looked towards his bike to see it in the place he left it, but someone else was standing beside it.

Yami.

"See, Yami! He wanted to throw me down there!" Yugi exclaimed, pointing to the well before grabbing the handles of his bike.

Yami however just remained leaned against the tree, shooting him 'the look'.

Yugi glared. "No."

Yami rose an eyebrow, his expression not changing.

"No, Yami. I'm not helping him."

Yami sighed. "Don't you think you should put an end to this feud of yours? Seriously, I'm tired of seeing the two of you argue about everything."

Yugi glowered. "He starts it."

"Then maybe it's time for you to step up and end it," Yami said, and this made Yugi pause to think about it. After a while, Yugi sighed in defeat.

"Fine, I'll help him," Yugi said, and Yami grinned in approval. "But, how do I get him out of there?" Yugi asked as the two stepped up to the well.

"Hey, Yugi?! Who are you talking to?!" Joey called from inside the well, pacing frantically.

Yugi glared at the well. "I'm talking to Yami! Now shush!"

"You mean the ghost? C'mon Yugi! No jokes, just help me out here!" Joey called back, looking up at the boy.

"I'm not joking!" Yugi exclaimed before turning back to Yami. "What am I supposed to do?" he asked. "How am I supposed to help him? My short hands can't even reach him and I don't have anything with me..." Yugi said, looking around in hopes of finding something to pull the blonde haired boy out.

"Why don't you leave that up to me?" Yami said, a gleam in his eyes. "Just go and stretch your hands for him to take."

It was Yugi's turn to give Yami a look. "Yami, I won't be able to reach him!" he yelled.

"Yugi! C'mon! Please, I'm sorry!" Joey called down from in the well once again, growing impatient and even more nervous as the time ticked on. Yugi and Yami both just cast a look at the well before resuming their conversation.

"Trust me on this one, okay?" Yami said, and with hesitant eyes Yugi looked at Yami. Seeing that Yami was being serious, and probably did have a plan, he decided to trust the spirit.

"Fine," Yugi said, nodding before turning around and walked up to the well. Crouching down on to his hands and knees, he looked down at Joey.

"Hey! Yugi! Ya came back!" Joey cried happily, a grin breaking out on his face.

"I'm here to help! Just grab my hand," Yugi said, and pushing sanity to the back of his mind, he stretched his arm out.

"Yugi, are you nuts!? I can't reach me! Your arm is too short!" Joey called up.

Suddenly, Joey's eyes widened as he watched Yugi's arm get longer, and longer, and longer. With fear, unsure of what was going on, he pressed himself against the back of the well, away from Yugi. Yugi though was also surprised, and he stared at his growing arm with shock.

"Yugi! Oh my gosh, pull your hand back in! Take it back!" Joey yelled hysterically, absolutely mortified by the length of Yugi's arm.

Taking a glance at Yami, Yugi smiled when he saw the grin on Yami's face. He turned back to Joey with confidence. "See, Joey, I told you! Yami is doing it!"

"Yami?" Joey trailed off.

"Now c'mon! Take my hand! Trust me, it won't fall off," Yugi said jokingly.

Joey hesitantly reached out, and took Yugi's hand. As soon as Yugi had a good grip, he turned to Yami and he began to pull him up. In no time Joey was out of the well and was staring at Yugi's now back to normal arm.

"How'd you do that?!" Joey shouted, standing as he got his bearings back.

"Yami!" Yugi said again, and he pointed over towards the tree where his bike leaned on.

"There's no one there," Joey said.

"Yeah, you can't see him. Yami only shows himself to the people he wants to," Yugi explained with a smile.

Joey nodded slowly, his mind still having a tough time processing everything. However, in the end he shrugged it off as another messed up day and turned to Yugi with a slightly reddened face. He had a hunch ghosts were real ever since that day in the classroom. This right here though sealed the deal. Ghosts were absolutely real and kicking, sort of.

"Hey, um, I'm sorry, for ya know, everything," Joey said sheepishly.

Yugi smiled. "It's okay, Joey. I was pretty mad at first but, I'm okay now."

"So, are we good?" Joey asked.

"Yeah, not exactly..." Yugi said with a twinkle in his eyes. "You have to do something for me first." Joey looked up, gulping as to what Yugi may want. He had done a lot of mean stuff to the boy, so who knows how Yugi was going to get him back.

"Wh-what then?" Joey asked. "What do you want me to do?"

"There's the school play coming up, and I was wondering... If you could help me with my skit," Yugi said. "You'll have to act. I talked about it with Yami and he thinks that it's a great idea. My play is super funny!"

Joey gave a sigh of relief. "Oh good! That's great then. Sure, I'll help! But, I gotta warn ya. I'm not the greatest actor."

Yugi grinned. "Me neither, but hey! We'll work on it together. At least now we have something that we both aren't good at."

Joey chuckled. "So, what's the play about?"

"I thought you would never ask!" Yugi said, and both he and Joey walked away, talking about their plans.

"Hey, Yugi! Your bike!" Yami called out, watching as the two boys walked off. Since he was ignored, Yami face palmed, staring at the dish filled with ice-cream sorrowfully. "Oh Yugi…"

"Hey, Joey! I got the rope!" Looking up, Yami watched as a boy he recognized as Joey's friend rushed towards the well with rope slung around his shoulders. He was peering into the well, only to look around with confusion.

"How did he get out?" the boy asked himself, and Yami watched as the boy looked around.

"Joey!?" he continued to call, and not hearing any reply, the boy turned around and left, confusion written all over his face.

Alone, Yami sighed and set next to the bike. Yugi would come back, only to let this be his last shopping trip for a long while when he goes home without the groceries. Relaxing, Yami looked up at the sky with an amused smile. _Yugi's going to be in so much trouble._

* * *

"Is the house ready?" Kaiba asked, his voice stiff from across the line.

 _"N-no sir-"_

"Why not? I'm ready to sell that place!" Kaiba exclaimed, gripping the phone on his desk tightly, his other arm propped up on the wooden table.

 _"But sir, the buyers, they don't want to buy it,"_ Roland explained shakily.

"Why not? It's a perfectly good house! Nothing is wrong with it!" Kaiba yelled back, his frustration level rising higher and higher.

 _"Yes, I understand, Mr. Kaiba, but it seems that the house has its history of ghost stories. It's a big thing around this area. Some teen supposedly died in there and they say his spirit is still wandering. They're frightened."_

Kaiba growled, clenching his teeth together as he spoke. "Don't give me this nonsense, Roland! That kid is dead. He's gone. There's no spirit, so why can't they understand that?! Ghost. Don't. Exist. Or, am I selling that house to a bunch of children?!"

 _"Well sir, they aren't prepared to accept that."_

"Well make them!" Kaiba yelled, and just when he was about to slam the phone down, Roland spoke again.

" _And another thing, Mr. Kaiba, it seems that a family has moved into this house recently. They bought it a few months ago. What about them?"_ Roland asked.

"Find them somewhere else to stay. I want that house. My father built that house and it's about time I've done something with it instead of having it there as a constant pain in my side." And with that finally said, Kaiba slammed the receiver down.

With his elbows on the table and his fingers locked under his chin, he stared intently at his computer screen. With cold eyes, he moved his arms and quickly typed a few things into the search engine. It didn't take long for him to find what he was looking for: an online newspaper that was dated back to four years ago.

"Why does he keep making my life difficult?" Kaiba asked himself as he stared with a hint of emotion in his eyes at the multi-coloured haired teen on the screen.

Friendly purple eyes stared back.

* * *

 **Okay! So I hope you liked it! Yes, Kaiba just continues to be a box filled with mystery, huh? xD**

 **Please leave your comments in the review box, and I will certainly send you my appreciation. Thanks! I will update again soon.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey everyone! Thank you so much for the reviews, follows, faves, etc, Glad to see that you all are enjoying the story, though I do have to apologise for the length of this chapter. It's very short. It's the calm before the storm next chapter, so… it had to be this way. I hope that it's okay. Anyways, I hope you like this fun chapter.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

The Ghost of Yami Atem

Chapter 13

* * *

"I knew I wasn't crazy!" Joey exclaimed, staring at Yugi who had took a step back in mild surprise, only to regain his calm and stare at Joey with an intent gaze.

With wide eyes, Joey slapped a hand over his mouth, looking around the set, showing the crowd that he was trying to be quiet. He turned back towards the "ghost" who was standing with arms on his hips in front of him. It was actually Yugi who was dressed up as Yami the day they both had met, and Joey was quite amused by Yugi's play when they were rehearsing.

"Hey, doesn't that look like Yami Atem? The kid who died those years ago?" a man in the auditorium asked, pointing at Yugi, and those around him nodded.

"Yeah, he's wearing the same outfit," a woman replied next to him.

With ears wide, Grandpa felt uneasy as he overheard the two people's conversation. Shaking it off, he looked back at the stage that was illuminated with just the right amount of lights so that the audience could see.

"Why did you take the ice-cream bowl last night? You made me look like an idiot," Joey said, pouting as he crossed his arms.

The "ghost" remained silent.

Joey then stood up on the couch and slightly towered over Yugi who was standing on a stool.

"Are you really a ghost?" Joey asked with wide eyes, but yet again he got no response from the ghost.

"Oh, so you don't talk much, huh?" Joey wondered out loud, looking curiously at Yugi. The crowd chuckled, Yami laughing too as the memory came back to his mind. He stood at the back of the auditorium, watching the play with high interest.

"Please say something. I know you can talk!" Joey exclaimed, fuming as he waited impatiently for an answer.

Yugi stood silently, and after a while he made his eye twitch to show irritation before he exploded, saying the exact same words Yami had said the very same night.

"Will you be quiet?" Yugi shouted loudly, his voice echoing throughout the auditorium. "And yes, I **am** a ghost, and this is **my** house, and **you** better be **quiet** or I'll rip you to pieces!" Yugi cried out, and he walked around the chair to face Joey.

Joey gave the "ghost" a crossed look.

"But Grandpa says ghosts don't exist," the blonde shot, crossing his arms. "So you can't be a ghost!"

"Yes I am! And you and your 'grandpa' better leave. No one lives here. No one is allowed to live here. This is my house!" Yugi yelled.

Grandpa who was sitting between the teachers and parents who were watching the play, gave a curious and thoughtful glance towards Yugi. The scene, the whole ice-cream thing, it did happen. But the ghost part? Could it be that what Yugi had said was true? _"No… that can't be."_ Grandpa tried to reason with himself as he watched the play go on. Ghosts don't exist. He had to think logically. Yugi was just playing around, putting his head together with his new friend to put on a humorous show. It wasn't real at all.

By the time Grandpa came out of his thoughts to watch the play properly, the entire audience was applauding. The two boys on stage bowed, huge grins on their faces. Breaking out into a proud smile, Grandpa applauded too, and was about to wave at Yugi only to see that the boy was waving and blowing kisses towards someone at the back of the audience. Yugi was even showing off his outfit a little and laughing.

Grandpa paused his clapping, his hands coming to a stop before he nervously and slowly turned around to see who Yugi was looking at. However, when he turned around, he saw nothing. Worried now his eyes went wide as he scanned the back of the auditorium for the person Yugi was still looking at. No one was there.

Feeling eyes staring at him, Yami stilled uncomfortably and looked to see where the intense look was coming from. But when he turned around, he saw Grandpa looking around with a curious and scared expression on his face. Yami's stomach churned, and deciding he had hung around enough, he took another final glance towards Yugi before disappearing.

Yugi and Joey took a few more bows before they ran off the stage, high fiving each other.

"Great job, Joey!" Yugi exclaimed.

"Thanks! You too. You make a pretty awesome ghost," Joey replied.

"That was so cool. Did that really happen Yugi?" Tristan asked as he ran over to them, his eyes wide. Yugi nodded, a huge smile on his face as Tristan's mouth made an "O" shape, his eyes growing even bigger.

"Yugi! That was amazing!" Grandpa exclaimed as he walked over with a big smile, hugging Yugi who gave him a tight hug.

"Yeah, I know!" Yugi said happily, and he turned to Tristan who tapped him on the shoulder.

"Yugi, that was mind-blowing. I can't believe that it was all true. Did you really stand up to the ghost like that? I would love to meet Yami too! He sounds cool," the boy said without stopping, and Yugi chuckled.

Grandpa rose an eyebrow. "What does he mean, Yugi?" he asked, putting a hand to Yugi's shoulder.

Yugi's eyes widened and he turned to his Grandpa. "Didn't you know, Gramps? The play was actually true. It's how I met Yami!" Yugi explained with joy.

Grandpa chuckled nervously before he ruffled Yugi's head, forcing a smile to his face. "You little prankster. C'mon, time to go home," he said, and without waiting he took Yugi's hand and lead him away.

"Bye, Joey!" Yugi called, waving.

"Later!" Joey yelled before he ran off with Tristan.

Grandpa however stared straight ahead, his mind in chaos while his face held a deeply concerned look. _"What's going on?"_

As soon as Grandpa and Yugi got home, Grandpa decided to ask Yugi about the mysterious person he was waving at. The thought was driving him insane.

"Yugi, who were you waving to at the back of the auditorium?"

Yugi who was going to go up to his room didn't stop his happy hop as he replied, "Yami."

"Yami?" Grandpa questioned, following the boy. Stopping halfway up the stairs, Yugi turned around to nod.

"Yes Grandpa! Yami. This is his house. He's the ghost that I met and did the play about…"

Grandpa sighed, and rubbed his temples. "Yugi, how many times do I have to tell you that ghosts don't exist?!" he cried.

"Yeah, you only say that because you haven't seen him," Yugi replied.

"Yugi, for the last time, stop joking around! I'm worried about you, you know."

"Grandpa... I'm fine," Yugi repeated, grabbing the banner before slowly going up the stairs. "Don't worry about it." And with that he quickly walked up the stairs towards his room, leaving his grandfather at the base of the stairs with a perplexed look on his face.

* * *

 **And that's the end of the chapter! Hope you like it.**

 **Please review! Just one more chapter, and Yami's backstory begins! So review so that I can update quickly! xD So excited!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Heya! Are you guy's reeeady!? Stuff is about to go down this chapter, so I do hope you all enjoy this as much as I do.**

 **Thank you all so, so, so much for the wonderful reviews. They were really appreciated and I do hope you continue to like this story. And, I think I should let you all know that this story is past its half-way mark. This fanfic has TWENTY CHAPTERS, so, just six more to go!**

 **I'll be keeping this short.**

 **Enjoy! :D**

* * *

The Ghost of Yami Atem

Chapter 14

* * *

Grandpa and Yugi both stood in the kitchen, cleaning up after lunch. Moving carefully with the glass bowl in his hands so that it wouldn't break, Yugi put it next to the sink where Grandpa immediately picked it up and began scrubbing. Tiptoeing to reach into the sink to wash his hands, Yugi grinned when Grandpa shot him a playful scowl since the boy came in the way of his washing.

"Yugi, take the wash cloth and wipe the table. You always dirty the place where you eat with food, so go clean it up." Yugi stuck his tongue out in annoyance, but picked up the wash cloth and left.

"Fine…"

As he walked up to the table, he got on to the chair and began to clean the liquid of soup hat had had dropped. Yami was unable to help him clean up "magically" this time because the spirit was tired after playing with him all morning, so he had gone to rest in his usual corner. Sighing to himself, Yugi stopped and looked up when a knock came to the door. His eyes widened as he stared at the door, and a second later he turned to the kitchen.

"I'll get it, Grandpa!" he yelled before leaving the cloth on the uncleaned table and rushing to the front door without waiting for a reply.

As he opened the door, he looked up, and stared awkwardly at the men outside. One man wore a black suit, dark glasses covering his eyes, and greyish hair with a small beard. He was pretty serious looking and he just stared down at Yugi with an intense gaze. Hesitantly Yugi looked at the other two men to see that they were also well dressed, but they weren't paying attention to him. They were staring around the house in awe. Without warning they all stepped in after the first guy, causing Yugi to scurry behind the door with an annoyed pout on his face so that he wouldn't get run over by the big men.

"Yugi, who is it?" Grandpa asked as he walked out of the kitchen, wiping his hands on a paper towel. Seeing the men inside the house, his eyebrows rose questioningly. "Yes, can I help you three?" he asked, stepping up to the men and trying to hide his frustration having seen them just barge in.

Yugi watched curiously as the man in the sunglasses spoke first.

"Yes, are you the one who lives here?" he asked. His voice was as stiff as his posture. It was pretty obvious that the man was here on some official business.

"Yes," Grandpa replied carefully.

The man nodded. "Well, we'll like you to evacuate this house. It's going to be bought soon. We can get you somewhere else to stay, but this house is needed for our use."

Grandpa stood shocked as Yugi listened quietly from next to the doorway. That couldn't be. This was Yami's house and they liked it here. Why would the men kick them out? Yugi grinned knowing that his Grandpa would have none of that. And to prove it, Grandpa went ballistic.

"What do you mean you want us out?! This is my house and I'm not leaving!" Grandpa exclaimed, anger building up. "You better give us a very good reason why we should leave. Besides, who are you people anyways?!"

The man frowned, but wasn't at all surprised. It was as if he expected Grandpa's reaction. "Look, we don't want to make this difficult. We need this house. My boss owns this house and he intends to sell it. I have no idea how you live here now, but you have to go. Like I said, we will find you another place to stay."

"And who exactly is your, 'boss'?" Grandpa snapped, stepping closer to the man.

"Seto Kaiba, CEO of Kaiba Corp," the man replied smoothly.

Suddenly, a strong wind blew through the house. Everyone fell silent and looked around with a tinge of fear, watching as curtains blew even though the windows were closed. Feeling frightened, Yugi was about to step closer to his Grandpa, only to stop when a familiar voice echoed throughout the house.

"No, get out of here! No one is selling this house, understand!? No one!"

Looking up at the top of the stairs, Yugi watched Yami who stood as the top of the stairs with his fists clenched tightly, his red eyes glowing and the dark aura that he had only seen once before form around him. His face was even red, red with rage as he shot daggers at the man who spoke.

Everyone looked around, wondering where the wild wind came from. The wind was blowing so harshly it felt as if they were in a storm. And while the others got scared as the seconds passed, Yugi just stared at Yami who he had never seen look so mad before.

"Yami..." Yugi whispered.

Yami walked down the stairs slowly with just as much rage. Since no one but Yugi could see or hear him, all they heard were the stairs were creaked loudly under each step, and they saw the windows slamming open and closed, smashing together as Yami descended. The door swung open as well and it slammed close, then opened again as Yami neared the bottom. Yugi watched fearfully, sensing Yami's anger continuously rising.

"I said OUT!" Yami hollered, and Yugi jumped when picture frames shattered to the ground, windows rattling and small furniture falling over and sliding across the floor. Seeing this, the men took a step back, their face wide with fear. Looking at Grandpa Yugi saw that even he looked horrified. Yami was scaring everyone. Why was he so mad? Nothing came to Yugi's mind, so he just stared at Yami with worry. This was what he was afraid of. Whatever Yami had kept hidden inside, has exploded negatively.

The couch then moved, sliding towards the doorway due to the strong wind. Vases fell and plates clattered loudly, and it was then when Grandpa met Yugi's eyes and signaled him to go to him. Yugi rushed over, and Grandpa pulled him into a shielding hug. Now that he was next to his Grandpa, Yugi could feel the man trembling from fear. His Grandpa was never scared of anyone, or anything.

"Yami! Stop! You're scaring everyone!" Yugi called out, having enough, and it was then when he pushed away from his Grandpa.

Yami however paid no attention to Yugi as he stopped at the bottom of the stairs.

"He ruined my life! I'll never let him take what I have left! Never! He did nothing. Nothing, and ruined my life!" Yami cried, and with his shout he sent another strong wave of wind which knocked the men off their feet, pushing them towards the door. With a scream the other two men scurried to their feet and rushed towards the door that was standing open for them, fear plastered on their face. The man in the sunglasses ran out after, confusion and fear lacing his face too.

Yugi watched as the men ran away, one man screaming, "This place is haunted!" as he ran out the door.

Standing still, Yugi was scared when Grandpa grabbed his hand and started dragging him towards the door quickly, and looking up he saw fear on his grandfather's face also.

"C'mon Yugi!" he said quickly, and very much confused Yugi allowed himself to be dragged, his feet feeling as if they were confused as to what they should do.

Yami's eyes cooled with relief as he watched the men run out, but they hardened again when he saw that Grandpa was doing the same. With one stretch of his arm, he slammed the door shut right before Grandpa and Yugi could leave.

As the door slammed shut before they could make it out, Grandpa stood shocked, unable to move as the wind that came out of nowhere continued to blow, but this time easing. Unable to get the door open, Grandpa spun around and held Yugi tightly in his arms while he pressed his back to the door, staring at the house which seemed to have no one else living there but them only a few months ago.

"You two can't leave," Yami said, standing in the center between the doorway and the staircase. His hands formed fists as his lips quivered, his form trembling. "Yugi can't leave," he said after, staring at the ground before looking at the boy.

Yugi broke away from his Grandpa's strong hold and stepped forward.

"Y-Yugi! C-come back here!" Grandpa called out, his voice cracking. Yugi ignored him and continued to walk forward slowly, step after step towards the trembling Yami.

"Yugi! What do you think you're doing?!" Grandpa called out again.

"Yami, what's wrong with you?! Please stop. Look, you're scaring Grandpa," Yugi pleaded, trying to keep his voice soft when he saw the shaken up expression on Yami's face.

Yami looked at Yugi, but did not even moving a finger.

"Please," Yugi begged again, and slowly the wind died down into nothing.

Running forward, Grandpa grabbed Yugi again and looked around the room frantically. "Who's there!?" he called out.

Yami stared at him.

"Why are you doing this? Please, just let us go!" Grandpa cried, pleaded, and begged.

Closing his eyes, Yami slowly opened them and looked at Grandpa. "You can't go," he said softly, and he watched as Grandpa's eyes widened with shock.

"Who said that?!" Grandpa exclaimed.

"You can't take Yugi away," Yami said, his voice filled with the tone of defeat and utter sadness.

"Please, leave him alone and let us go," Grandpa yelled, looking around anxiously.

"I can't do that," Yami said again.

"Yami! Please, I think it's about time we told Grandpa," Yugi said, and he struggled against his Grandpa's tight hold yet again before breaking free. Grandpa looked around as he watched Yugi and everywhere else silently.

Yami stood still for a moment, staring at Yugi, then at the old man. After a moment, he closed his eyes again, and disappeared. Turning around to search for where Yami had gone to, Yugi paused and watched Yami who was now standing behind Grandpa. Seeing Yugi staring behind him, Grandpa froze, noticing a chill. Turning around slowly, Grandpa shouted and took many steps back as he saw the pale, crimson eyed teen in front of him.

"I'm the spirit that resides here. I'm the ghost. I am Yami," Yami said, gazing at Grandpa. Grandpa stood in shock while Yugi wasn't affected in anyway. He approached Yami.

"Why are you doing this, Yami? What's wrong?" Yugi asked softly.

Yami's eyes softened just a little bit, but he said nothing.

"Who are you?! And why are you here, haunting us?!" Grandpa exclaimed as he still shook from fear.

"Yami, please, tell us what's wrong," Yugi pleaded. "I know something is up with you. You're hiding and keeping so many things inside of you that it's starting to scare me. Please. Tell me. Something is very wrong Yami." At this point, Yami looked to the ground as tears built up in Yugi's eyes. When he looked up again, he stared at the two people in front of him carefully.

"You want to know?" Yami asked, no emotion in his voice.

Grandpa gulped as he brought Yugi closer towards him, and Yugi just nodded his head.

Yami stiffened, his eyes darkened, and he blinked and stared directly into their eyes.

"Then listen."

* * *

 **THE END! :D**

 **Hehe, I'm kidding**

 **Hope you liked the cliffhanger! And p** **lease don't kill me! The question on everyone's mind is going to be answered next chapter so I will see you then!**

 **Bye! And review! Reviews bring you updates xD**


	15. Chapter 15

**Okay! Everyone, thanks a bunch for the reviews! We passed the 100 mark! YAY! CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF US! :D Hope you like this chapter. And, it's the chapter to hopefully answer some of your questions, since this chapter had to be split into two. :P So yeah, it gets really depressing next chapter because Yami's death is in the next one.**

 **PS - This chapter is mostly going to be in Yami's POV. Also, I have inserted a pairing that I'm not really 'happy' about, but it was needed in order for this story to make any sense. Oh! And there's Kaiba OOCness.**

 **WARNINGS - Dark themes, death, etc. You've been warned.**

* * *

The Ghost of Yami Atem

Chapter 15

* * *

Shattered glass frames, dishes, vases, strewn furniture and toppled chairs remained where they were after the storm Yami had caused, plunging the room into a tense state with just two words. Fear had faded into curiosity, but it was still there. Proof of the fear was Grandpa's tight hold around Yugi's shoulders while their two pairs of violet eyes stared into Yami's half-lidded crimson ones which were filled with despair that they weren't sure of. Yami sighed, his eyes slipped shut, and then he opened them to gaze at the ground, his hands lax at his sides in defeat.

"My full name is Yami Atem. I was born in Egypt and lived there until I was five years old. I looked exactly like my mom, and my dad would constantly say that I looked a lot like her because of our multi-coloured hair, our deep purple eyes, and our matching tanned skin. My dad was Japanese, and for my mother we spent a longer time in Egypt instead of immediately moving away to Japan. Eventually though we had to pack up and move permanently to Japan due to dad's work." Yami smiled as he spoke, the faint memories of that time returning to his mind before he continued, his smile turning into a frown that he tried to hide.

"We were quite happy living together, just the three of us, but we were soon separated by fate. When I was ten my dad got into an accident which was caused by a drunk driver late one night. He was coming home from work after promising to take us out to dinner. An hour later though after one phone call, we were forcing dinner down our throats in the hospital, only to vomit it all out when he died just a short while later."

Yami paused, and he pinched the bridge of his nose as he forced a smile to his face, shaking his head slowly. He bit his lip, the smile still on his face, and Yugi watched heartbrokenly at Yami's watery eyes. Yugi felt his heart pounding awfully in his chest, and he wanted nothing more than to run up to Yami and hug him tightly. But, his friend needed the space to speak right now, so he stayed put.

"My mom was heartbroken," Yami continued, his voice cracking. "She would cry and stare into the distance with a blank look in her eyes. She tried to stay strong for me though, constantly forcing a smile on her face and showing me that she's fine. But she wasn't. I could tell. I thought she would never get over it, that is, until she found someone else."

Yami stepped back until he touched the stairs, and slowly he sat down on the steps, staring at his shoes as the person's name ran through his head.

"She met a man named Gozoburo Kaiba." Yami shifted, and looked up with a thoughtful expression. It seemed as if he had gone back to that moment when he met his stepfather, and was just curious. "He wasn't bad at first. I liked him. He was strict at times, but was friendly. I didn't see him often because he worked crazy hours, but I was never born because he also had a son, Seto, who just two years older than me. We got along just fine. We loved to play games and we would constantly be challenging each other, arguing and pushing ourselves to outdo the other at everything. But, I was always better and Seto would always come back again. We were forever rivals." Yami shook his head, chuckling slightly only to stop a short moment later to stare at the ground seriously again.

"After my mom and Gozoburo met, two years later they got married. I had just turned twelve. Things went back to normal, well as normal is it could get with all the new changes. My mom started to smile and laugh again though, and it made me happy. And, our joy only got bigger. Mom was having another baby. It was the best day of my life. With the baby coming, mom decided that the city would be too noisy and she didn't like raising a child in such a hectic surrounding. She wanted to move to somewhere more quiet and peaceful. Gozoburo agreed as well. He was a rich man, so moving wasn't a problem. We then moved here, in this house. He fixed it up, and gave it all to her. It's her house. Aria Atem. It says so at the front of the house, just next to the gate." And with that sentence, Yami motioned to the front door with his head.

"Well, before we knew it the baby was born. It was a boy who we named Heba, and he looked just like my mom and I. A rich tan skin, large purple eyes, and that tri-coloured, pointy hairstyle. A few weeks after he was born though, Gozoburo announced that he had to leave. He was going to America for work. He took Seto along with him, and this was when things spiraled out of control. My mom and I both thought it was some business trip that would last just a few days, but Gozoburo called one day and said that Seto has been noticed for his intelligence at the school he was going to over there. He was planning on letting Seto finish his studies. Mom hesitantly agreed, thinking about Seto's wellbeing since we all knew he was smart. But, after that, I saw both of them two years later."

"Heba had grown during those two years. He was now only two years old, I was fourteen. But we weren't the only ones who changed. Seto had grown cold when we met again. The way he spoke and talked to me felt as if he thought I was a joke to be with. As if I was beneath him. We were step-brothers, I agree, but I never considered him one. I thought of him as my brother. My own blood. That day though proved to me that he didn't think the same."

 _-Flashback-_

" _Seto! Where have you been? You didn't even call or email or reply to me! I even sent you a letter!" Yami exclaimed, running up to Kaiba who sat on the couch, typing away on his laptop._

" _I was busy," was the curt reply, but Yami wasn't disheartened. He put a hand to his brother's shoulder and shook him._

" _What do you mean you were busy? You couldn't have possibly spent all that time in America and not send me a single word that you were alive," Yami said, and he was startled when Kaiba stood up and pushed his hand away from him._

" _Yami, go away! What's wrong with you?" he hissed. "Can't you see that there are more important things that I have to be dealing with? You always want to play, huh?" Kaiba growled, clutching his laptop tightly. "You're so stupid. How can I expect you to know anything? You can barely get anything done right."_

 _Yami eyes widened. "Hey, why are you saying that?! I am not stupid." His hands made fists. "Just because you went overseas, doesn't mean you're some bigshot. Tone the ego down, will you? No need to take whatever it is out on me." And with a glare, the blue eyed teen walked away into the kitchen, leaving Yami alone to fume silently._

 _-Flashback End-_

Yami grinned, putting an elbow on his knees as he held his jaw up. "After the whole Kaiba fiasco, my stepfather dropped another bombshell. He decided that we should all move to America with him. My mom refused. She didn't want to go and said she was fine right where she was. I didn't want to move either, so I took her side. However, my stepfather wasn't one who gave in to defeat. He got pretty angry after that. Seto didn't say anything. He just agreed with his father and even tried to change our minds, but my mother wasn't one who gave up easily."

 _-Flashback-_

" _Aria, come with me. It will be better for us all. You have to listen to me," Gozoburo said, trying to reason with Aria whilst attempting to keep his calm. The frustration on his features though wasn't very convincing._

" _I don't want to go. Why can't you understand that?!" Aria exclaimed, turning to look at him. I saw him clench his fists at her angry tone, and I felt a surge of fear run through my system as he glared angrily at her._

" _Aria, why don't you understand?!"_

" _I like it here. I don't want to go to America! So why can't you understand?!"_

" _Aria!"_

 _-Flashback End-_

"It got bad, fast. Mom sent me to my room, Seto went outside. Heba was taking a nap in his room, which is now your room, Yugi," Yami said, and he met Yugi's worried eyes for a quick second before continuing, "So I went there and stared at Heba, my mind and stomach doing flops. It was at that moment when I realised that they fought a lot ever since he returned, but none was ever as bad as this."

"After a while of staring at Heba who was sleeping peacefully, unaware of everything, it wasn't long after did mom came back. She said it was okay to come out now, but I didn't move. Seeing that I was afraid and clearly worried, she stepped into the room."

 _-Flashback-_

 _"Yami? You okay?" she asked softly, stepping inside the pale room that was painted a soft white with pale blue curtains with stars all over them. Her footsteps were soundless as she walked across the fluffy white carpet towards Yami who sat on Heba's bed, staring out the window._

 _"Yeah, I'm okay. But what about you?" Yami asked hesitantly, looking up at her. She looked down and smiled before chuckling._

 _"He walked out," she stated simply, but she was still smiling._

 _Yami's eyes widened and he stood up out of surprise. "What?!" he exclaimed, and he watched as his mom sighed as she sat down, her elbows on her knees as she covered her face._

 _"I told him to leave. I told him if he wants to live there so much, he can just go."_

 _Yami listened carefully as she continued to explain what had transpired. His mother and he had always been close, and Yami was always one who was quite attentive, so his mom told him all of her problems. This time was no different. They never kept secrets from each other. Besides, she had declared the teen old enough to know things a long time ago._

 _"I tried to explain to him that I needed time to think about it, but he said that he already got flight tickets ready for us." She sighed. "I got mad at him. He went and did it without me knowing. All he went on about was wasting money and how much of an idiot I was being."_

 _She sat up and glanced at Yami with a sad look on her face. "I'm sorry, I acted without thinking. Now he's gone and, and I regret it. I really do," she said softly, and she held Yami's hand tightly as she continued to speak. "He also took Seto with him. Seto was awfully quiet during it all." She sniffed, eyes brimming with tears as the aftermath of it all caught up to her. Yami sat down and shifted closer to wrap his arms around her._

 _"It's okay, mom. Don't be so sad," Yami said softly, trying to calm her down. "I just wished he understood. But, he'll come back. Just wait until he calms down and then you both can work it out. He always gets mad like this and comes back eventually, right? It'll all be fine."_

 _"Ah, you're too caring for your own good, Yami. Thanks," she said, smiling as she ruffled his hair before standing up. "Well, I'm going to rest for a while. Watch Heba for me, okay?" she said, and Yami nodded and watched as the door closed with a click behind her._

 _-Flashback End-_

Rubbing his arms, Yami continued to tell his story to the extremely silent listeners.

"I regret saying that he'll come back soon, because my mom actually waited for him. Sitting on the couch all day, she would space out and get lost in her thoughts. Days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months, and as the time went on she became even more frantic. She tried calling him, but he changed his number. Same response from Seto too." Yami shook his head and looked up. "We didn't hear a single word from him."

"Heba was getting upset seeing mom like that. And I got even more worried as she seemed to have lost her mind waiting for him. Her attempts died, so she sat, and just waited. She waited silently like a dead doll."

 _-Flashback-_

 _"Yami... What wrong wid mommy?" Heba asked slowly, carefully saying his words as he held on to Yami's shoulders as he carried him back and forth across the terrace. Yami looked into Heba's innocent and questioning eyes that gazed intently into his, and easily smiled._

 _"She's waiting for dad," Yami said simply, and he watched as Heba blinked._

 _"Then, where is daddy?" he asked softly, leaning his head on to my shoulder. "I no like seeing mommy sad..." he said, pushing his thumb into his mouth, and at that Yami frowned, and patted his back._

 _"Me neither..."_

 _\- Flashback End -_

"We haven't seen him for almost a year, and it was during this time when Mom grew ill. Very ill. She stopped eating, and smiling. She didn't bother calling him anymore, but constantly she would look out the window and at the door to see if he'll magically show up."

Yami's head dropped to stare at his lap, his heart cracking as he retold this part of the story. Yugi watched with teary eyes himself as Yami sat on the steps, practically curled up in a little, pitiful ball. It was all heartbreaking, and it was making Yami terribly sad, but he had to know the truth so that he could get help. He had vowed to make Yami happy, and he can only do that after knowing what made him sad.

"My mom had begun to go to the Doctor a lot. One day she had passed out, and I was so scared that I called an ambulance. They reassured me that she'll be fine as I held a crying Heba in my arms, panic and a sense of dread building up inside of me as I looked at her paling body, darkened eyes, and unhealthy state. She hadn't been eating properly too, and neither have we."

Yami coughed, and leaned his head on the banister, closing his eyes. Yugi saw a tear roll down his face.

"My mom returned home the next day, but she went straight up to her room. I knew she wanted to rest, so I played a few games with Heba until he was ready to sleep. I bathed him, changed him, and gave him his bottle until he fell sound asleep. By this time my step-father and Seto had left us for over a year. I had only turned fifteen, just days before my mom left us as well."

 _\- Flashback -_

 _Stepping off the stairs, Yami made his way into the kitchen to help his mom with the morning duties. School was out for March break so they had a week to themselves. It was a good opportunity to try to mend their torn relationship, and try to be happy once again._

 _"Good morning, mom," Yami began, only to stop and stare at the empty kitchen. With confusion he looked up at the clock. "Huh, it's almost eight. She's usually up by now…" Yami said to himself, and he stepped out of the kitchen to take a look around, only to freeze when he suddenly heard a shrill cry come from upstairs._

" _Heba?!" Yami shouted, pinpointing that the sound was coming from his mother's room. He took the stairs two at a time and ran into the room, the door wide open. As soon as he entered, he stopped and stared, horrified by what he saw._

 _Heba was on the ground, crying tearfully next to his mom's body. His small hands patted his face, grabbed her hands, and shook his waist, but she didn't open her eyes or even move. Shocked, Yami went and flopped down next to him. Hesitantly he touched her head only to pull back. It was cold, and her face was even paler. All colour had been drained from them. And taking a closer look, Yami stared lifelessly as he saw that her chest wasn't moving at all. He took her hand, searching for a pulse, and as each second passed and he couldn't find one, he drew frantic. After several minutes of desperate searching, his mind absolutely empty on what else he should do, he gave up. He allowed her hand to drop to the floor, and stayed still and just stared as tears rolled down his face. Heba was screaming now, crying hysterically, and Yami picked him up and hugged him tightly._

 _She was already gone._

 _\- Flashback End -_

Yami wiped tears away and buried his face into his hands. Yugi and Grandpa both watched as he tried to calm himself. He brushed the tears away and looked up at the ceiling, pain evident in his reddened eyes. He took a few deep breaths, and continued with a shaky tone.

"I buried my mom that afternoon, with the help of my neighbor who cared for us during those times. We didn't want anyone else getting involved, nor did we want to go to an orphanage where we would risk getting separated from each other. So, I took care of Heba with a little help from this neighbor of ours. Heba became my responsibility, and I had even more to sacrifices to make because that neighbor passed away naturally after a few weeks. I dropped out of school to take care of Heba since we had no money, and no food. We were running low on everything, so I had to step up to save the last of my family."

"As I walked around the street, taking up odd jobs here and there, trying to find work wherever I can to feed my brother, it was during then when I knew that Gozoburo would never come back. Seto would never return. It was then when I started to hate them."

* * *

 **Okay! So I hope you liked this chapter. We shall continue Yami's tale in the next chapter which is just as long as this one, so please review and I will try my best to update as soon as possible. xD.**

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing. It is appreciated.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Major thanks to all of you! Glad to see that you're very interested, and I hope to see the continuous support until the end of this story, which will be coming up very soon. I'm also glad to see that Yami's past had the reaction that I wanted. xD There is more to his story, so please read and tell me what you think in the end.**

 **Oh! And how is Kaiba's role in all of this? What do you all think? I know, he's very OOC…**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

The Ghost of Yami Atem

Chapter 16

* * *

With arms wrapped around his legs loosely and his hands in fists, Yami continued make holes into the ground with his eyes as he sat on the wooden steps. Yugi and Grandpa remained where they were, both silent as they watched the spirit who had remained quiet himself for a short moment. Yugi gazed on worriedly, dried tears staining his cheeks. Eventually, after a while, Yami sighed and unclenched his hands. He continued with a slight shake of his head, the act seeming as if he was brushing off the thoughts that surfaced in his mind during his silence.

"With no money to feed Heba, I went out during the day and tried to search for a job, any job, where I would get paid enough to buy food. When I wasn't home, I left Heba at a daycare. More money was lost that way, so getting a job was the most important thing for me. Thankfully though, at fifteen, I was hired in a warehouse to unpack stuff from a truck and stack them away in a huge storeroom. I had no idea for who I was working for, or what I was unpacking. All that I was concerned about was the fact that I got paid by the end of the week. I worked there for six hours every day, and the money was just enough for me to get through our lives. Eventually, fall rolled around and Heba had to go to school. Kindergarten. I didn't want him to miss his education, so I enrolled him. When you're alone you eventually learn how to fake things to live."

Yami grinned, and licked his lips. "I've gone from good, mama's boy to law breaker in just a few months." He shook his head to himself once more. "That was the only way I got my job, but I should have realised and remembered that I wasn't cut out for it. Sure, I as a good employee and had a lot of support from the other workers, but I wasn't strong enough, or big enough for my job when necessary."

 _-Flashback-_

" _Hey, Yami! Watch out!"_

 _Looking up, Yami dodged the wrench that had fallen from the toolbox that one worker had been carrying. With a slightly horrified but relieved expression, Yami looked up and scurried off, trying to be careful in the packed warehouse. He wasn't unloading anything today. In fact, he was on stacking duty. Crates filled with tools for the local hardware store in the mall had to be packed properly and in the right place. A mix up would only result in more work, something that no one wanted._

" _Kuroh, the boss wants to have a word with you," Yami said as he walked by, and he watched as the long, black haired boy stood up from his crouched position to give him a nod._

" _Okay, thanks," he said politely, and Yami grinned before looking ahead of him and making a beeline for the inner storage room where he was putting the crates in._

 _Stepping in, Yami looked at the half empty store room and walked out again before one by one picking up the heavy, packaged boxes and placing them on to the shelf. Dragging the bigger boxes in, he grabbed a ladder and began carrying the smaller ones to the top and leaving the big ones to sit at the bottom shelves. Weary, his arms hurting as he came down from the ladder, he looked up when the door creaked open._

" _Hey, you already talked to the boss?" Yami asked Kuroh as he stepped in, and the guy nodded._

" _Yeah, he wants me to help you out in here. Nao's sick, so you need all the help you can get."_

" _Oh, thank goodness. I was beginning to think this was all going to take forever."_

" _Well it is…" Kuroh drawled, and Yami chuckled. "C'mon, I'll take those other ones up. What are they again?"_

" _They're filled with oranges for the supermarket," Yami replied, taking one side of the crate while Kuroh to the other one._

 _Kuroh rolled his eyes. "From tools to fruits. Nice."_

 _Together the two took the crate to the ladder, and with Kuroh in the lead they lifted it up to the top and slide it into place. They repeated it until one shelf was full, and began with the other. However by this point the ache in Yami's arm was getting worse, almost to the point where it pained to even move it. He pushed through though and bit the pain, forcing himself to continue with his arms feeling as if they were set ablaze._

" _Yami, pay attention," Kuroh hissed, gripping the bigger crate tighter as he stopped halfway up the ladder. Pushing up so that the crate won't fall, Yami winced._

" _Sorry…"_

" _Push. This one's heavy," Kuroh said, and Yami tried to keep it up. Finally it too was slid into place and he went to get another._

 _Absolutely weary, he decided that he'll ask for a break after another crate was taken up and pushed into place. He watched as Kuroh rolled another across the floor, and taking a swig of his water, Yami rushed to help him. As Kuroh took one end and he took the other, he struggled as Kuroh pulled one side and he pushed, but his arms were weak. As soon as the crate was over his head, him pushing it up, his arms loosened and the crate came down._

" _Yami!"_

 _Desperately Kuroh tried to hold on, but the weight of the crate was too much and he fell, the crate dropping on Yami. It hit his head, breaking open on the ground, and immediately feeling blood and intense pain, he blacked out only to awaken in a white room hours later._

 _With a dull throb in his head, he looked up to see Kuroh with a broken arm, and another one of the guys from work with him. Alongside that guy was his boss, and he didn't look too happy. The doctor looked over Yami and seeing that he was awake he smile reassuringly seeing Yami's worried expression._

" _You had quite an injury there…" the doctor said, and Yami remained quiet, his heart pounding. "You should be careful. Another injury to your head would prove to be fatal if this wound isn't healed properly. Understand?" the doctor warned, and Yami nodded._

 _-Flashback End-_

"It was all their fault. I would never forgive them. I would never forgive Seto, the one person I had thought would at least call or even write to see if we were still alive or dead. He did nothing. I hate them. Especially Gozoburo. My mom died waiting for him, and he left two children alone without anyone. Granted, he didn't know mom died, but when he did he didn't care." Yami wiped away more tears, and Yugi flinched when he heard a sniffle.

"I thought they would never come back, but one day, they did. And the day they did, was my last."

 _\- Flashback -_

 _"Ugh! Yami..." five year old Heba whined as he fumbled with his shirt, trying to put it on. "Help me!" he demanded with a pout on his lips._

 _Yami sighed and shook his head with a small smile on his face as he looked at Heba who had somehow gotten his head stuck in sleeves of his shirt._

 _"Silly," sixteen year old Yami mumbled as he slipped on the sleeveless black top Heba wanted to wear. It was his day off, so Heba had asked to go to the park. Obviously Yami agreed. For the occasion he decided to dress up a bit and wore black jeans, sneakers, and a few chains with an armband on his arm with another on his wrist._

 _"The shirt hates me," Heba said, glaring cutely, and Yami just chuckled to see that the glare turned out to look more cute than threatening._

 _Since they were done getting dressed, Yami lifted Heba off of the bed and was just about to leave when a bang was heard. Immediately the sound was recognized as the front doors slamming open, and as Yami thought about what had happened, a loud voice boomed throughout the house._

 _"Aria! Yami!"_

 _As soon as Yami heard it, his body went pale. The voice sounded very familiar..._

 _"Daddy!" Heba squealed. He grabbed Yami's shoulders as he was lifted up, and Yami had to look and stare at him in wonder, unsure of how the little boy remembered the man's voice even though he barely knew him. "Daddy's here!" he continued to squeal, and he giggled._

 _Yami said nothing though. He just walked slowly out the door, his feet moving on their own as the voice continued to call for him, and someone who hadn't been with them for a long time. As he got to the banister which overlooked the entire living room, Yami gulped as he walked towards the top of the stairs, watching the man who paced across the floor._

 _"There you are," Seto breathed, and Yami's eyes snapped towards him. The blue eyed boy was looking up at them with a tiny smile, but Yami just continued to stare, shocked. Seto had definitely grown. He was much taller, looked wiser, but his sharp blue eyes still held the same intensity. Even his brown, chestnut hair was the same, but were now brushing over his eyebrows._

 _Yami didn't have much time to examine Seto because he was startled when Gozoburo began shouting at him._

 _"Where's your mother?!" the man yelled impatiently, and Yami's heart turned cold and his body went stiff, eyes filling with rage._

 _"Hi, daddy!" Heba exclaimed, waving, and Yami took one glance at Heba's innocence and shot Gozoburo a glare while he answered the man's question._

 _"In heaven," he said loud enough for Gozoburo to hear, and the man gave him a confused look._

 _"What?!" he exclaimed, and Yami rolled his eyes._

 _"She's dead. She died waiting for YOU," Yami shot, and Gozoburo stood there silently. Seto too stood there, surprised, and he looked between his father and Yami. At the sudden silence and tension, even Heba remained quiet._

 _"How long?" Gozoburo finally asked, no emotion in his voice, and holding Heba tightly Yami responded in the same tone._

 _"For almost seven months now._

 _Gozoburo thought for a moment, then shrugged his shoulders._

 _"Oh well. I came to take you guys with me, but since she's gone, there won't be any problems this time," and Yami stared at him, shocked, surprised, and disgusted by what he said. Yami's mother and Gozoburo's wife died, and he shrugged it off!? In disbelief, Yami looked away and gazed at Heba who was leaning on his shoulder, close to tears now._

 _"Why do you think we'll come with you?" Yami turned back and asked him, and at the question Gozoburo shook his head and laughed._

 _"There's no way I'm having this argument with you about this now. So start packing. We're leaving."_

 _"No. I'm not going anywhere," Yami said, and he turned to Seto who sighed._

 _"C'mon, Yami! You can't live here forever?" he said._

 _"I've lived here alone for the past seven months. I'm sure I can handle it," Yami shot back, and Seto glared._

 _"Suit yourself," he said, and he crossed his arms._

 _"Yami! Listen to what I said and start packing!" Gozoburo yelled. Yami stood firmly to the ground and didn't move an inch from his position at the top of the stairs. Seeing this, Gozoburo's eyes twitched._

 _"Then FINE! Stay here! Die here as well for all I care! But, I'm taking my son with me," he said, and he started to make his way up the stairs._

 _Yami's mind raced. "His son? Seto? Wait, no... No! Not Heba!"_

 _Yami held on to Heba tightly, refusing to let him go. Gozoburo had gotten to the top and reached out to snatch Heba away. Heba screamed._

 _"Yami!" he yelled, crying as the man tried to pull him out of Yami's grasp. Yami though was shaking, trying his best to hold on to Heba with all the strength he had left._

 _"Yami! You can make this easier on yourself. Just come with us," Seto tried to explain._

 _"No!" Yami cried, and as he looked at Seto, Gozoburo pushed him to the floor, causing him to let go of Heba and hit his head on the wall. Immediately the ache began, and the dizziness started. It had only been a few days since his accident at work. This wasn't good, but he shrugged the pain off and replaced it with panic as he heard Heba call out for him._

 _"Yami!" Heba was crying loudly now. Yami's head spun as he sat up, then slowly stood up._

 _"Heba..." he said weakly, and he heard the front door open, then close._

 _He shook his head, trying to rid himself of the dizziness before he rushed down the stairs. Bright lights began to clog up his mind, and he felt liquid sputtering out of his mouth. Unable to focus and only panicking more when he heard the sound of an engine outside, he didn't pay attention to where he was stepping. He stumbled after just a few steps down, and went headfirst on to the stairs. His head hit the edge of the wooden step, and he tumbled the rest of the way down to land at the base on his stomach._

 _The world went black for a split second, and opening his eyes he groaned and got up, running towards the door. He flung the door open and rushed outside to see Seto getting into the car, and hearing Heba's cries._

 _"Please! Stop! Don't do this! Bring him back!" Yami screamed, rushing up to their car. Seto looked back, and in that split second before the car rolled away, he saw the old Seto. Seto shot the house a sad look, and was gone. Yami tried running behind it, but it was too fast. As it turned a corner, it didn't take long for it to disappear out of sight._

 _\- Flashback End -_

"I lost Heba that day. But, I also lost something else. My life..."

 _\- Flashback -_

 _With tears running down his face, Yami walked back into the house, shoulders slumped and shaking. Stepping through the door that still stood wide open, he sobbed as he looked, shutting the doors behind him. Now, he was truly alone. But then his eyes fell across the floor to see a figure laying at the base of the staircase, blood pooling around their head. Yami paled, and went cold._

 _He would recognize that body anywhere. It was his._

 _Shaking, he stepped forward, walking around the form to see the figure on the floor's face. His face. He was laying on the floor on his stomach, eyes still open and lifeless, head turned to the right, the hair sticking to the ground and face. Blood poured out from his mouth, and the gaping wound on his forehead, arms at his side._

" _If my body is there, then, what am I...?" He looked at his hand shakily, and gasped. He saw it, but also saw the floor through it. Without hesitating he ran to a mirror, and saw nothing. Gasping, head turning to look at his body at the floor, he dropped to his knees, hyperventilating and crying fretfully, realising that he was now gone._

 _He was dead._

 _\- Flashback End -_

"Three months. It had been three months after they left. And you know, no one knew I was still in that house. No one knew that a person's body was left on the ground, rotting."

"People, the world outside, thought that I had left with the rich and famous Gozoburo Kaiba, so no one bothered to check the house. They just locked it. A heavy padlock on the door and gate. No one knew what laid inside."

Yami chuckled, and leaned back on the stairs, only to fall grim and fearfully, staring at the spot where his body once laid.

"I was too scared to touch it. I just sat on the ground, staring at it, wondering why I hadn't gone to the afterlife. Wondering why I was being tortured like this. I had to watch my body as it slowly began to rot. A strong, horrible odor started to come from it, and poor me, I was unable to close my own eyes. They remained open for three months until people finally started to notice the awful smell. I would have done my own funeral too, if I knew I had powers back then, and if I knew how to control it. But sadly, I knew nothing. I had to wait until people came to investigate where the smell was coming from."

"When they opened the door and saw what it was, I would never forget the look on their faces. Pure horror. Some puked, screamed, ran away, or just passed out. Someone then eventually called the cops. Ambulances and other people came to investigate. It was then when people realised that it seemed one person never went with Gozoburo Kaiba. They tried to contact him, but to no avail. A few days later, my step-father seemed to have vanished from the face of the earth though. I could care less."

"I watched from my seated position in a corner as people in white suits carted my decaying body away. The blood was cleaned up and everything was brushed under the rug, called an accident. No lie in that. So once again, the door was locked and I remained."

"People heard about my story. It made headlines over the city, probably the country. Everyone was afraid of coming to the house as it was now being rented out. One person was brave enough though. Thirty minutes into the night, he was screaming as he ran out of the door. Screaming about the crimson eyed ghost. And that was how the haunted house story began. I mean, I had to find entertainment somehow. Someone had to pay for my suffering. So that went on for a year, until I received a visit from someone."

 _\- Flashback -_

 _Sitting on the stairs, right in front of the spot where his dead body laid a few months ago, Yami sat with thoughts running through his head at top speed which caused it to hurt. He closed his eyes and burrowed his head on knees only to open his eyes when a feeling coursed through him. Looking up, he saw a bright light above him. He stood and stared in awe, watching as a little glowing ball floated down to the ground and took the shape of a two foot tall person._

 _Yami recognized the person immediately._

 _"Heba...!" Yami exclaimed, still in shock._

 _"Yami! I missed you. Where did you go?" Heba asked softly, just as innocent the day he left._

 _"I- I missed you too..." Yami said._

 _"Aren't you coming with me?" he asked, and Yami blinked curiously._

 _"To where?"_

 _"With mommy! She's waiting for you," he exclaimed, and Yami's eyes widened as reality clicked together in his mind. He fell to his knees and stared at his little brother._

 _"H-Heba... What- What happened, to you?" Yami asked, his voice quivering. Heba blinked at him, silent for a moment before he spoke, understanding what Yami wanted to know._

 _"I wanted to see you. Daddy won't let me though. He kept saying mean things about you, so I ran away. I missed you." His eyes brimmed with tears. "It was raining a lot. Everything was different. I got lost, I didn't know where I was and, then there was pain, and shouts, and I heard tires screech, and then, more pain then sudden nothing."_

 _Tears fell down Yami's face as Heba finished. He tried to hug the boy, put pulled away when he was greatly shocked as soon as he touched him. Heba looked at him sadly._

 _"Sorry Yami... Mommy's calling me." Heba then waved as he soon disappeared, and the white light vanishing with him. Left alone once again with more pain, Yami cried alone._

 _\- Flashback End -_

"I don't know how long I sat on the ground crying my eyes out. I didn't know what to do, everything seemed hopeless. My little, baby brother was gone too. I wanted to so badly be with them, but I couldn't."

"I never saw them again. Heba never came back, Gozoburo was still missing, and I heard Seto took over the billion dollar company." Yami grinned and pinched the bridge of his nose, wiping his tears away in the process. "They took everything from me, so I refuse to forgive them for that."

Yami was breathing heavily as he finished. He was still trembling, eyes downcast as he golden bangs covered most of his face. Yugi and Grandpa stood in the same spot, looking at Yami as tears rolled down their faces.

"Yami..." Yugi called out gently, his voice quivering as he stepped forward, but Yami stood. He looked at Yugi for a short moment with more tears suddenly welling up in his eyes, and Yugi paused. Understanding the silent plea, Yugi stopped walking and sadly watched as Yami vanished. As soon as he was gone, Yugi ran up to his room in tears, his bedroom door slamming shut.

Grandpa wiped the tears from his face away and he sighed, looking around the house that seemed to mean so much more than he had thought it did. There was so much more about this place than he had though. Now, now what's he supposed to do? How was he supposed to make it alright again, for everyone?

* * *

 **Okay! That's the end of the super long chapter. Thank goodness I had split Yami's backstory into two chapters. I hope you all liked this. Review please! I have the next chapter ready to be posted, so review, review! xD But seriously, this is the most saddest chapter. The mystery has been revealed. What do you think?**

 **Thanks for reading! :)**


	17. Chapter 17

**Thank you all for the wonderful reviews! It makes me happy to see all the love, especially with this fic almost at its end. Please continue to enjoy reading in the end, and I do hope you like this chapter. I hope it starts clearing things up from Kaiba's view of the story. Drama. Too much drama…**

 **Oh, and in case some of you were confused by how Yami died, let me explain. While he was working he had an accident which resulted in him getting hit in the head pretty badly. The Doctor told him that another serious injury to the head like that could kill him, and just a few days later Gozoburo returned. He pushed Yami, Yami smacked into the wall, and then he tumbled down the stairs where he hit his head against solid wood and fell to the bottom. He hit his head twice, his wound reopened, and like the Doctor warned, he died. So there. Is it clear? I know, there are way too many holes in this, but what can I do? :P**

 **Enjoy! :D**

* * *

The Ghost of Yami Atem

Chapter 17

* * *

"What!?" the loud voice exclaimed as he stood. The chair he had been sitting on flew back from the force as he bent forward, his hands slamming down on the wooden desk with a bang. The sound caused the man in the room to tremble in fear as he gazed worriedly at his boss's angry, yet disbelieved facial expression.

"I'm sorry, sir," Roland hesitantly said for the third time during the call as he looked into the fierce blue eyes that his boss owned. He forced the sigh to remain inside himself while he tried to explain his seemingly farfetched reason. "But there really is a ghost in that house. I've seen it myself! Well, I didn't technically see it, but I saw what it did! The buyers have turned down the deal and are going to find another house elsewhere."

Kaiba's eyes furrowed as he stared at his worker. "Roland, I advise you to take a trip to the asylum to fix your mind, or I can easily fire you for your stupidity."

Roland's eyes widened in shock. "But, Mr. Kaiba! It's real! That ghost is real and-"

"Shut up!" Kaiba yelled, stopping Roland midway his sentence. "I told you once, and I'll tell you again! There is no ghost living it that house! I saw the body myself and-" he stopped himself from saying more, and to see if he had stopped himself just in time, he looked at Roland who was standing in front of him. His right hand man looked at him confusion, but the fear was still there. Clenching his fists on the desk as he looked away, he spoke.

"Get out," he said simply, and he sat back down.

"Yes sir," Roland said quickly before he turned around and practically ran out the door.

As the door clicked shut, Kaiba stared at his desk, his elbows resting on the desk while his fingers interlaced each other, his forehead leaning against them.

" _Stupid. They're all stupid. Why would his ghost be haunting that place? He's dead. Dead!"_

Kaiba growled, and clenched his eyes shut as he tried to block out the memories and images out of his mind. To help him, he sat back in his chair and stared at his laptop in hopes of getting some work done, but he ended up pushing the laptop away from his instead when the memories got more resilient to stay in his mind.

" _I saw them take his body away four years ago. How is this possible!? Yami is dead."_ Kaiba turned to look out the window, and his eyes fell down to watch the people that inhabited the huge city below him. " _And I'm gonna go prove it."_

With that thought steeled in his mind, he got up and picked up his folders, laptop, and other important documents before storing them into his briefcase. As the lock clamped shut, he grabbed the handle swiftly and made his way straight to the door. Just as he grabbed the metal handle and pulled though, he froze in his tracks when the phone on his desk rang.

Turning around he glared at the ringing instrument, but walked over and picked up the call harshly.

"What?!" he yelled, and he tried to keep calm when he heard the small gasp of surprise that came from his secretary. "What is it?" he asked again.

 _"Sir, there's a call for you. A man, he wants to talk to you,"_ she said, keeping her voice as even as possible.

Kaiba's eyes stiffened in annoyance. "Who is it?" he snapped.

 _"I'm not sure, but he says he has something important to discuss with you about a-"_

"I don't care. I have a company to run and if they want to discuss something they better make an appointment," he snapped, and was about to put the phone down when her next sentence stopped him.

 _"Sir, it's about someone named, Yami Atem. Do you know of him?"_

Kaiba's eyes widened. "Who?" he croaked, feeling the blood in his body turn cold and drop down to his legs.

 _"A Yami Atem. Should I still disconnect? The man who called refuses to stop calling until he has a word with you. What should I do?"_

Kaiba was silent.

 _"Sir?"_

He snapped out of his trancelike state, and replied after a few seconds of serious thought. "Put him through."

* * *

Grandpa went into his room and locked the door before pulling out his cellphone and dialing the number he had found online. With a serious expression, and a somewhat nervous one, he tried to keep it all in knowing that this was what he had to do to fix everything that had gone wrong in the home. And he wasn't just fixing his home. Someone else's also.

Ringing was heard for just a few seconds before a voice was heard.

 _"Kaiba Corp. How may I help you?"_ the woman on the other end of the line said, her voice robotic as she spoke.

"I would like to speak with Seto Kaiba. It's urgent," Grandpa said into the phone, his hands sweating.

 _"And you are?"_ the woman asked. _"Do you have an appointment?"_

"I need to talk to him about his brother, Yami Atem. Please!" Grandpa cried. "And no, I don't have an appointment. I just need to speak with him for a few minutes."

" _I'm sorry. There's nothing I can do to help you other than-"_

"You don't understand," Grandpa, pleaded, hands in fists. "I need to talk to him right now."

" _Sir, I can't do that-"_

"I need to talk to him and I'll continue to call if he doesn't take this one!" Grandpa shouted, his frustration level breaking its point."

 _"I'm sorry, Mr. Kaiba is very busy, and I cannot put you through if he's not expecting this call. I'm sorry, but if you like I can make an appointment."_

"No! He needs to listen to this, now," Grandpa exclaimed, his eyes wide as his voice rose higher from urgency. Yami had waited long enough. He had been restless for far too long and it was about time someone did something about it. Speaking to Kaiba was his only shot at finding peace for the teen. He had to do atleast that much.

"Just tell him the name Yami Atem. I'm sure there will be some time for me to talk to him after that."

Clearly hesitant, Grandpa pleaded some more before the woman eventually sighed, giving in. _"Okay, I'll try."_

"Thank you," Grandpa said, relieved. There was a moment of silence before the woman's voice was heard once again, and Grandpa's head perked up as soon as she spoke.

 _"I'm going to put you through now,"_ she said.

"Thanks," Grandpa said quickly. A click was heard and a new yet cold voice was heard.

"Who are you?" the voice said darkly, venom and a hint of curiosity dripping from his words.

"Solomon Moto. And I have something-"

"How do you know about Yami Atem?!" Kaiba's voice snarled, and at that Grandpa had to do a bit counting to get himself to calm down. Yami didn't describe his step-brother fairly. Kaiba was way worse than he had expected.

"One, not only I know of him, but the entire city practically knows him. After all, four years ago it did make headlines across the country so who doesn't know? And secondly, Yami himself told me about you, and his story."

"That's impossible!" Kaiba exclaimed, fists pounding the desk. "He's DEAD!"

"That is true," Grandpa stated calmly, "but he's a wandering spirit now."

Kaiba was silent as his entire expression now held distaste for the man. Confusion and fear wracked his body, yet he couldn't run away. It felt as if Solomon knew something that he shouldn't have known. He managed to keep it a secret all these years, but it burned him to know that someone else could possibly make the connection between him and Yami. If so, he would be crushed. He didn't know by what though. Would he be crushed by the media's questions? Or would it be his own guilt which was slowly nagging at him on the inside even louder than before?

"And, I know something that no one else knows right now, nor was it known four years ago," Grandpa continued.

"And what's that?" Kaiba asked.

"About his family."

Kaiba's eyes widened once again.

"And by what I know, it's safe to say you're the only relative he has left. You're his brother. Step-brother to be exact," Grandpa said.

Kaiba's body stiffened, his eyes sharp. "How do you know so much?" he asked through clenched teeth. "How did you find out about all of this? Who's been giving you this information?!"

"I told you already. Yami told me himself." Grandpa smiled slowly. "But don't get me wrong. I didn't call to throw you back into your past. I just wanted to let you know of him. I want to let you know that he's still here for some reason, so that was why I was wondering if you would come back here and see him. Just once," Grandpa asked. "It might give him peace."

"What?! Never, I refuse to go back there, and Yami's spirit is not haunting that house," Kaiba shouted through the phone. Although he was trying to rudely assure Solomon that Yami wasn't a ghost or still on earth, it seemed that he was also just trying to reassure himself of that fact.

"Please," Grandpa pleaded, his eyes closing from frustration and utter sadness. "He's been alone for four years thinking no one cared about him. Come and see him. Just this one time. Do it for Yami, for your brother."

Kaiba growled. "I told you. Yami is not a ghost. He's dead and at peace where he belongs. I don't believe in this trash so you better find someone else to bother." And just when he was about to hang up, Solomon's angry scream stopped him from doing so.

"Is this how you're going to repay him?!" Grandpa cried.

Kaiba was silent, anger fuming through his system.

"Is this how you're going to repay him for separating the two of them? For the death of theirs and your mother? Is this what you're showing him? That you didn't care when he died, or when Heba died?!" Grandpa exclaimed, clutching the phone tightly.

"How do you know of Heba?" Kaiba asked slowly.

Grandpa ignored him, rage the only thing that consumed his thoughts.

"You didn't even turn back when you walked out on him. You didn't know that he fell down to his death the minute you left with his only family. You didn't know that you left his rotting body on the floor for months as his spirit WATCHED! Making him think none of you cared, until the next person he sees is his brother's soul moving on."

"I am not to blame for that! My father is the one-"

"You should be equally blamed. While you let your father carry out orders, you stood right there and did nothing. Even when you deserted him, he still hoped that you cared. He still loves you, even though he says he hates you. Tell me, Mr. Kaiba. Is this your thanks, your sorry? Are you even sorry for how you treated him?!" Grandpa exclaimed.

Kaiba trembled, his knees feeling weak. "No…"

Grandpa gave a shake of his head, sniffed, and slammed the phone down.

Kaiba heard the dial tone come on before he even finished his sentence, and knowing that he won't be able to finish it, he dropped down on to his knees and leaned his head on the foot of the desk.

"He deserves much more than an apology."

Sitting down on the floor, sadness taking over his insides and the guilt swelling, Kaiba's hands made fists and he brought them up to his chest, staring at the floor as memories of the past flooded his mind.

" _I didn't want any of this to happen. I didn't know about his death. And, I did visit him. I was the one who alerted every one of his body. I was there when they buried him. Heba was there too. I cared, but I was ashamed to get close to him. I couldn't stand that house after that day. So, so I got the house locked without daring to look inside, believing that if I did the memories would swoop in and kill me on the spot. I chained it up as if locking it and throwing away the key would keep all the memories there."_

" _Heba was there. He cried a lot when he realised what had happened and fell into a state of denial. He would constantly talk about Yami, wondering when he'll come back. Because of his questions, Gozoburo slapped him, causing Heba to run away. I went after him and tried to stop him, but just as always I was too late. I lost another brother. Heba had gotten into an accident."_

" _I fought with Gozoburo for days that turned into weeks. Then, he disappeared. Two years ago I took the company, just when I turned eighteen. I never stopped caring, worrying, regret and guilt plaguing my mind every day. So, I'd be damned if I let someone tell me I never cared. I'm going to go. Only then they can judge."_

With that thought sealed in his mind after hours sitting on the ground, Kaiba got up and walked out the door after he straightened himself out. Pulling his cell phone out of his pockets, he made a single call.

"Get my Blue Eyes jet prepared, right now."

* * *

 **And there! End of the chapter. How do you like it? Did you like that bit with Kaiba? He's OOC, I know. I suck at his character, cut me some slack! xD**

 **Anyways, please review and tell me what you think. Until the next update… Bye!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Hello everyone! Thank you for the many reviews. You all really know how to make me happy. Sorry that I couldn't update earlier. Really had to get that other fanfic of mine updated. This story now only has two more chapters, and I hope you all continue to love this as much as I do.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

The Ghost of Yami Atem

Chapter 18

* * *

With a faraway look in his eyes, Grandpa stirred the broth in the small pot on the stove absentmindedly that night. It was quiet, the only sounds coming from the hisses the stove would make and the few times the spoon would hit against the edge of the pot. Grandpa though didn't seem to care since he just stood there, lost in his thoughts.

Many things have been revealed to him only hours ago, and he had to be honest. He was still having a tough time processing it all. He had a ghost living in his home, and it was a ghost that had a very troubling past. And, now that he thought about it and heard of it again, his memory was jogged. He did hear about Yami's story before.

A couple of years ago he had read in the newspapers about a teen who was found dead in his home, months after his demise as shown through autopsies. Of course, he had never seen Yami before. When he had watched it on the news channels, and read about through the newspapers, a picture was never shown of Yami. He was underage, for one, plus they didn't have any way to contact his folks to gain permission. And even if they were able to show him through the media, it would have been hard getting a single photo of him. Now he knew though. Now he knew the full story, and realised that he was living in that very same house where that horrible accident had happened.

Sighing, his brow furrowing from fatigue, Grandpa turned the stove off and using pot holders he moved the pot over to the counter top. His stomach wouldn't stop churning from worry, sadness, and utter fear for the boy. Yugi had been playing with this ghost, Yami, from day one. Ever since they had moved in. Clearly he wasn't dangerous at all, but he never believed it. Yami had done so much for his Grandson. He was very kind, and caring, and through his story he understood that very clearly. To have something that tragic happen to him, it was hard to accept.

Yugi had been silent ever since Yami had disappeared a few hours ago, seconds after completing his story. Yami had no doubt gone to his room, or somewhere else where he could be alone, but Yugi had went straight up to his own room in tears. Yugi cared about Yami a lot, and if Grandpa wasn't yet able to accept what happened to Yami, then Yugi definitely wouldn't be able to forget. But, it felt eerie knowing that when you thought you were alone, you actually weren't. He was constantly on edge as he now knew someone else lived with them, and the scariest part was not being able to tell where they were. For all he knew Yami was watching him right now.

Yet, even though this was Yami's home, he was a spirit. He was supposed to move on like his little brother had, but was unable to do so for some reason. Something was keeping Yami attached to earth, and no matter how hard Grandpa tried to think of what that something was, he couldn't figure it out. None of his hypothesis came close to a good enough reason, so now he was left stumped. Yugi considers Yami a brother, so he had to consider Yami his Grandson, therefore he wasn't going to let his grandson wander around earth, restless. He had to do something to set his spirit free, but what?

A thought then dawned on the old man, and he stopped placing the plates on the table to just stare in wonderment at the ground. It was a farfetched idea, and it might not even work, but it was worth the try. He understood that Yami was upset right now, but he had to speak with him. He had to ask Yami what could possibly be gnawing away at him in such a manner that his soul doesn't want to move on.

"Y-Yami?" Grandpa called out nervously, pausing his chores and looking around since he didn't know where Yami would pop up. "I want to talk, for a minute, if you don't mind," he said, gulping slightly. Just when he thought that the spirit won't show, Grandpa immediately felt the familiar gust of cold air around him. Yami was near. And to prove it, Yami appeared in front of him. Grandpa gave a sigh of relief before he took a look up at Yami who had spoken.

"Yes?" Yami questioned, his voice firm. Even though the spirit tried to keep a cold tone, Grandpa still saw how upset he was. His arms were wrapped around his chest, and his eyes were downcast. And just as Grandpa stepped forward a little, Yami took a nervous shuffle backwards. Seeing that, Grandpa stopped and Yami stood quietly as well.

An awkward silence fell upon the two males, and unable to stand it any longer, Yami looked up at Grandpa.

"Why did you call me?" Yami asked, and at the question Grandpa cleared his voice.

"Yami, I'm sorry to hear what happened to you," he said, and he watched worriedly as Yami just smiled and shook his head to himself, smiling sadly.

"Don't be sorry. You wouldn't have been able to do anything for me."

Grandpa looked to the floor as Yami's words stung him a little, but he pushed it to the back of his mind. Yami had given up on being free, but he had to change that. He had to push through that barrier Yami had built up thinking that he had no one. Even if his family wasn't there, he had him and Yugi now as his family.

"I know, but that's where I think I can be able to help you. I want to help you finally find peace. I wanted to know if you know why you're still here," Grandpa explained, and he looked at Yami who bit his lip and shook his head slightly, his eyes falling back to stare at the wooden floor.

"No. I just can't move on."

"Why not?" Grandpa asked.

"I'm not sure," Yami said. "I do know that something is holding me here. I mean, that's how all ghosts work, right?"

"Do you know what it is?" Grandpa asked him again, and he watched Yami curiously.

"If I did, I wouldn't still be here, now would I?" Yami said, sarcasm in his voice.

Grandpa nodded, noticing where Yugi may have picked up some of his snide remarks. But as for Yami, he wasn't lying in any way. He really didn't know why he was here. The reason had to do with his past. The thing that still bothered Yami was his family, so maybe he could start from there and see if a memory, or thought, stuck out from the rest.

"Do you miss them?" he asked, and he glanced at Yami as he leaned against the dining table.

Yami looked up at the question. "Miss who?"

"Your parents," Grandpa clarified quietly, and he saw Yami take a sharp breath before eventually nodding slowly, his eyes slipping closed for a few seconds.

"Yeah. I miss my mom and my real father. And I miss Heba. That's all who I miss," Yami said, and his voice went dark. "I don't care about my step-father. He can go to hell for all I care."

Grandpa looked at Yami, understanding on his face. "What about Seto?" he then asked.

Yami looked at him with a scowl, the dark tone being replaced with a bitter one. "I don't care about him. I hate him as well. He knew what was going on. He disagreed with his father's decision as well, but he did nothing to stop it. He went along with his father no matter what he thought because all he ever did want was the company. He did nothing to help us," Yami cried out. "He was selfish. I thought he cared, but he turned out to be just like his father!" and at that, Yami slammed his fist down on the table as he broke down, struggling with his tears due to frustration. He clenched his teeth together, taking slow and deep breaths as he tried to keep calm. However, tears still fell down and he used his sleeve to wipe them away.

Grandpa struggled hard not to go and comfort the teen, but held back since he didn't know how to approach him, or what to even say. This was his first conversation with Yami. They had never met face-to-face like this, so it would take some time for them to become comfortable with each other. He didn't want to do something which would make Yami react badly, so all he could do about the situation right now was wait until Yami calmed down by himself.

"He called me once. A few weeks after my mom died." Yami suddenly said, and Grandpa looked up and gave Yami a questioning glance.

 _-Flashback-_

 _"Hello?" a small voice said into the phone, hands holding the receiver cautiously._

 _"Yami?"_

 _Yami's eyes widened, a relieved and happy smile breaking out on his face as he finally heard the other teens voice. "Seto?"_

 _A nervous chuckle. "Yeah, it's me," Seto said. "How are you?"_

 _Yami played with the cord, wrapping the red wires around his fingers distractedly. "I'm, okay. What about you?"_

 _"I'm good too. How's mom?" Seto asked, and it was then when Yami stilled and fell quiet for a while before answering, his voice cracking as he spoke._

 _"She's okay too."_

 _Seto was silent for a while before speaking once again. "Yami, I'm sorry, I really am, for what dad did. But you know him, he just refuses to listen," he explained, but Yami said nothing for a while. He did know about his father's temper, but he had hoped that Seto would have been able to convince him._

 _"Why didn't you stop him?" he asked softly, and he could hear Seto's sigh through the phone._

 _"Yami, try to understand. I did try. I tried a lot before we got to the house, but he was persistent on wanting you guys to go with him. Yami, you should have just came with us. We could have lived happier and the company could have grown!" Seto exclaimed._

 _"But we were happy. Right where we were," Yami said. "That's why we didn't want to go. That's why mom didn't want to go. So since she didn't want to go, I refused as well," Yami said._

 _Seto sighed again, and Yami could hear his frustrated breathing. "I was trying to prevent this from happening, but, dad is planning on going there to get you guys again."_

 _Yami's eyes widened. "What?" he gasped._

 _"Yami, we both know how he gets when he's mad. You know he has a bad temper, so just listen to him and you can prevent anything else from happening!" Seto said, trying to reason with him, but Yami refused to listen. His step-father had done enough damage already. He wasn't going allow his to ruin his family any further._

 _"Sorry Seto, but I will do no such thing."_

 _"Yami! You're being difficult!" Seto yelled. "You're going to regret it if you don't come. He isn't going to take that answer lightly. He'll get angry."_

 _Yami's eyes hardened. "No! You just aren't trying hard enough! All you want is the company in your hands, that's why you're being a dog for him!" Yami cried into the phone as his voice quaked, choked sobs erupting._

 _Seto was silenced at Yami's tone, and he tried his best to calm himself down. "Yami, you don't understand... I'm calling to give you a heads up. When he goes there and starts yelling, don't say I didn't warn you. You have your options."_

 _"Just save it, Seto Kaiba!" Yami yelled, and he slammed the phone down before the other could say another word._

 _-Flashback End-_

"That's why I hate him. Now, is there anything else you want to know?" Yami asked harshly all of a sudden. Grandpa was taken aback once again by the tone, but shook his head. The memory was what put Yami in the sour mood, so it was understandable.

"I just want to let you know that I'm going to try everything in my power that I can to help you," Grandpa said, and he watched as Yami nodded.

"Thank you," the boy said, and he vanished once again.

Standing there for a while longer, Grandpa eventually turned around and continued to set the table, lost in his thoughts once again. He wished that he could do something for the boy. The conversation opened some doorways. He was still very upset by his step-brother's supposed betrayal. So far, the last of Yami's family was Seto Kaiba, and he wasn't any joke. He was known across the country, probably even the world. He was very rich indeed, so maybe he could do something about this. Maybe he'll atleast know something.

Making up his mind, Grandpa decided that he'll find a way to help Yami. Seto Kaiba was his only lead into helping Yami, and contacting such a big man was anything but an easy task. But first, he needed to finish dinner, then he would try to contact a certain someone...

* * *

Time seemed to have started to tick slowly as Yugi laid on his bed with the pillow in his face, holding it close like a teddy bear. He had stopped crying a while ago, but after that all he had been thinking about was Yami. He was just plagued with worry and sorrow that he didn't know what to do. Not even in his wildest dreams would he have thought that Yami gone through something so horrific. He was hurt so badly, and was no doubt hiding out in his room, extremely upset by the memories he had to retell.

Sitting up, Yugi leaned against the board of his bed and pulled his knees close, still clutching the pillow tightly. He wanted to know what made Yami sad so that he was able to help him feel better, but now he didn't know how to even heal something to terrible. What could he possibly do to make Yami happy? Jokes and teases weren't going to make him smile. Maybe for a while, but not forever. Yami was alone. He had no family. He had no one to talk to. All he had was himself- no.

Throwing his pillow to the side and jumping off of his bed, Yugi walked towards the door. Yami wasn't alone. He had him and Grandpa. They were his family now, weren't they? Yami wasn't alone, so maybe he could make Yami happy by telling him that. Yami did say that they were now brothers, so there was no way Yami could say that he was absolutely alone. They had each other.

Stopping at Yami's door, Yugi took a deep breath before knocking. Silence. He knocked a little louder and waited patiently, but he still had no response from Yami. Staring at the door silently, Yugi just decided to turn the knob and enter. Yami was in there, and he wasn't going to let the spirit drown in his sadness alone any longer.

Peeking in, Yugi saw that Yami was indeed in the room. He was lying on the bed, his eyes closed. He wasn't sleeping though. He could tell because the spirit's body was way too stiff to be sleeping soundly. Closing the door as he stepped in, Yugi made his way over to the bed and looked at Yami's turned posture. Shaking his head, knowing that he was being ignored, Yugi grinned and got up on to the bed where he plopped himself on top of Yami.

"Yugi..." Yami groaned, and he turned slightly to look up at Yugi. As soon as Yugi saw Yami's face, the smile dropped as he took in the red, tearstained face and puffy eyes. Shaking it off, knowing that he was here for to make Yami smile, Yugi grinned brightly.

"Wake up sleepy head!" he laughed, and he stayed firm on top of the spirit who tried to push him off. Since he wasn't moving, Yami turned back to the side and used his arms to cover his face once again. Yugi shook his head.

"Yami," Yugi said, and he poked Yami's cheek. "Yami. Yami. Yami. Yami," he kept on repeating, poking Yami as he said it. Yami got frustrated and flinched, but giggling Yugi continued to do it until Yami snapped.

"Heba, stop that!" he cried, sitting up abruptly and opening his eyes. Thrown to the bed, Yugi stared up at Yami with wide eyes, watching the spirit who froze after realising what he had just said. Yami glanced at him, and Yugi saw the pain that was etched into his eyes.

Sorry Yugi," Yami said softly. "It's just that, Heba would do the same thing to me as well."

Yugi looked at him and sat up. "You miss him, don't you?" he asked, and Yami nodded.

"Yeah, every day. I miss him a lot."

Yugi looked at Yami with curious eyes. "What was he like?"

Yami smiled at the question. "He was just like you. And, to be honest, every time I see you, I see Heba as well." Yami sighed, continuing to smile to himself. "I love him a lot," Yami confessed, and he jumped when he was suddenly grabbed into a hug by Yugi.

"Well, I am your little brother Yami. And you're my big brother. Don't think that you're alone. You have me and Grandpa now. We're you're family."

Yami brushed Yugi's hair back gently, and planted a kiss on his forehead.

"I know Yugi," Yami said, and then he frowned. "It's just, hard, remembering that I have people around me now that cares for me. All I can think about is Heba, and what happened to me. It was starting to seem as if I was cursed and would never be happy again. This house was my only memory. I just love them so much."

"What about Seto?" At that question however, Yami immediately stopped and looked at Yugi with wide eyes. "Will you ever forgive Seto?" Yugi asked, and he watched as Yami leaned against the head of the bed.

"No..." Yami said quietly, and he frowned.

Yugi looked at Yami with a sad look. "Why not?"

"Because he doesn't deserve it," Yami stated. "All he cares about is himself, so I won't care about him either."

"But you do care," Yugi said. "You love him too, don't you?"

"No I don't," Yami said. "At one point I did. I put all my trust and faith into him that he'll come back. But no, he didn't. He just wanted the company. Nothing else."

"I'm sure he had a good reason," Yugi said, trying to make Yami understand. Surely Seto loves him too, right?

Yami scoffed though. "Yeah, he had a reason all right. Be a hero and then dump his brothers to die. Better yet, rot."

Yugi watched as Yami got under the blanket, pulling it up to his neck. Seeing Yami under the sheets, Yugi sat there and turned the lamp off for the spirit, plunging the room into darkness. Grandpa would be calling him for dinner soon.

"He wasn't always like that," Yami then spoke up just as Yugi turned to get off of the bed. "He cared about us. To us, he was our big brother. He would never let us down or let anything hurt us. Yes, he can be proud, arrogant and stubborn _most_ of the time, but he cared."

Yugi looked towards the floor as he listened to Yami.

"I wonder what happened to him. Why the sudden change?" Yami sighed. "I just want to know why he stopped caring about us."

Yugi looked at Yami's turned back before moving closer and wrapping his small arms around him. "Well I care, Yami," Yugi said reassuringly, and he looked at Yami's face.

Yami smiled before drifting off to sleep. "I know."

* * *

 **I hoped you all liked this chapter. Please review and I will try my best to update as soon as possible again. Thanks!**

 **So weird… My author note wasn't long for this chapter… o.O**

 **PS: Oh, you know what I should have done... Switched this with the previous chapter. Ah, screw ups... Chapter 16 was Yami's memory, chapter 17 was Grandpa's call to Kaiba, and this chapter happened in between. Yeah... So out of order. Re-editing sucks. I'll switch it by next chappie. Stupid me. Ugh. Realised that while writing, but I didn't want to confuse you all. xD**

 **Bye~**


	19. Chapter 19

**Hey everyone! Glad to see that you're all here because Fanfiction was apparently down for the past two days. Lost some reviewers since the main page was in fixing. Hope to see that this chapter will get you all back! :D So, I would love to thank you for all the wonderful support last chapter. Last chapter was a great calm after all the tension, so I was happy to see that you all liked the cute moment. Oh, and as for the switch I had talked about for chapter 19, I won't be switching them yet. I'll just leave it as it is until the end of the story, which will be happening next chapter. :'(**

 **RESPONSE~**

 **Kitsune (Guest) – Hey, Kitsune! I'm glad that you really like this story, and yes, Yugi getting Yami to clean the house was very hilarious! It was my favourite part too. As for Yami, he will be finding peace very soon. Now, as for your question, it isn't too hard to write a fanfiction, or a story at all. All you have to have is a creative mind, and I guess basic writing skills. If not, don't worry. I'm sure authors here wouldn't mind helping you out and pointing out mistakes you may make. It's all part of learning. That's how I learned to write too. I was awful when I started out, and who knows, it may not be the same for you. As for classes, it all depends on you. If you want to take courses at school, go for it! I took a creative writing class at my school too, and it really helped me. And, as for the last thing… SAME HERE! I made an account just so I could review to amazing people (because back then apparently there was no option to review as a guest), and thought that I won't ever write a story. I did, and things are going great. Overall, if you want to write, please do. I would love to see your work. :) I hope I answered all of your questions. Thank you for your kind words, and here! The chapter has arrived. Sequels I will talk about next chapter. Thanks again.**

 **Okay, talked too much.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

The Ghost of Yami Atem

Chapter 19

* * *

The rain continued to fall lightly and silently as morning came. The storm had rolled away leaving a huge mess in its wake, but since the town was still asleep on this fine weekend morning, no one cared. It was so peaceful and so quiet that everyone just wanted to curl up on their couch with something hot in their hands, slowly enjoying the morning. Except…

"Oof!" a voice yelled as his body hit the floor. The messy tri-coloured hair popped up from the side of the bed, the crimson eyes glaring playfully at the giggling child who still laid on top.

"Yugi! No fair!" Yami exclaimed, and he got up quickly and tackled the child on the mattress.

"Haha! Yami! Stop!" Yugi cried as Yami tickled him to bits.

"No way!" Yami shouted, and he froze when a pillow then hit him in the face.

"How about now!?" Yugi cried, and he shakily stood up on the bed, pillow in hand.

"Still, the answer is no!" Yami yelled back, and he grabbed the other pillow and raised it to attack.

A few minutes later the two boys were sprawled across the floor, panting tiredly as busted pillows laid scattered all around. Fluff was strewn all over the place as if a tornado had come and gone, so surely it wouldn't take long for their guardian to come knocking. A short moment later Grandpa opened the door and stopped when he saw them on the floor.

"Yugi! Look at the mess you made! C'mon, get it cleaned up and come for breakfast," Grandpa said, and he turned around to leave.

Yugi pouted and sat up. "Yami did it too!" he cried, realising that Yami made himself invisible to Grandpa to get away from the scolding. Yami gave him the _how could you_ look, but knew he was caught and slowly appeared before the old man who rose an amused eyebrow.

"You too Yami," he said, and once again he turned around and left the room. Yami pouted as Yugi giggled.

"Not funny," Yami said, and Yugi smacked him with the pillow again as he stood up and began to get dressed and washed for the day.

* * *

Yugi sat at the dining table, Yami sitting next to him quietly with a thoughtful expression as he watched as Grandpa brought Yugi his breakfast.

"Don't you wanna eat?" Yugi asked, stabbing his pancake with his fork.

Yami shook his head, smiling a bit. "Nah, you eat."

Deciding that Yami was still a bit upset about the other day, Yugi shrugged it off and took a big bite, letting Yami come over it by himself. Yami however stared aimlessly off into space, the things that happened the other day the last thing on his mind. Something didn't feel right. There was a different feeling stirring up inside of him, and he didn't like it one bit. Something was going to happen, but what? Just as he tried to think about what the feeling was, he stiffened and got even paler, his head shooting towards the door. His eyes were wide as he stared, the feeling inside him getting stronger and stronger by the second.

Yugi looked at him curiously, dropping his fork to gaze up at him with a worried look. "Yami? What's wrong?"

Yami stood up, and it was clear that the spirit was shaking. He was taking little steps back, his eyes locked on the door in fear. Yugi stood and got closer, never seeing Yami look so afraid.

"Someone's coming," Yami whispered, and he gulped. His hands grazed across the banister, and he took a step up the stairs. Yugi followed, not sure of what to do to calm Yami down.

Yugi looked at the door. "But, there's no one-"

The door knocked.

"Oh," Yugi said. "Grandpa! The door!" he then called out.

"Okay, okay. Coming!" Grandpa shouted, and he put the plate on the table before walking over to the door.

"Yami?" Yugi questioned, and he heard the door lock open. As soon as the lock turned, Yugi watched with wide eyes as Yami shot up the stairs in a cloud of smoke and out of sight. Concerned about Yami's strange behavior, he too turned towards the door to see what Yami had been so worked up about.

Grandpa opened the door, and stared at the person who had arrived. Yugi stayed where he was, preferring to wait and see if Yami will come back down.

"Solomon Moto?" the cold voice asked.

"Seto Kaiba? What are you doing here?!" Grandpa said, angrily, and it was then when Yugi's eyes widened as he heard the familiar name. "I thought you weren't coming," Grandpa continued, and Yugi could hear the amusement in his Grandpa's voice.

Kaiba stood at the door, and he glared at the old man. "Listen. I was coming, but you ended the call before I was able to finish my sentence!" he shouted angrily.

"You said 'No'," Grandpa shot back.

"My 'no' meant that-" and Kaiba paused and took a deep breath before continuing slowly, a bit calmer. "It meant that I wasn't going to let it continue. You know what, this is ridiculous," he said to himself, and Yugi watched as Kaiba pushed his way around Grandpa and stepped into the house to look around.

Looking at the man in front of him, Yugi stood at the base of the stairs and anxiously as he looked around for Yami. Yami had to be here. He should at least see his step-brother once. Yami still loved him, and cared about him. He wouldn't hide like this. Besides, Yami hiding just proved that he still cared for Seto. If he truly hated his brother he would have faced him head on with a storm like he did that day those men came in.

Sure enough, as Yugi looked up to the banisters upstairs, he spotted Yami at the top off the stairs, peeking down from his crouched position on the floor. The spirit's crimson eyes were locked on the figure who looked around, and Yugi could see the confliction that was written all over Yami's face.

"Seto…" Yami said, and Yugi watched sadly as Yami clenched his teeth together, staring at the man sadly even though he tried to mask it with anger.

Yami was indeed confused. He still cared, and his mind was trying to tell him that, but he refused to pay that little corner any attention. He just stared at Seto, looking at him from head to toe. He noticed that his brother had grown over the years. He was much older, and taller. He would be twenty years old now, but Yami was still stuck in his sixteen year old body. However, even though those things were different, one question stood out and bugged the spirit. Why was Seto here?

Kaiba looked around the house coldly, trying not to show any emotions as the house brought back many memories that he had tried to buried. He scanned the place, only to have his eyes lock on the child who stood at the base of the staircase, looking at him with wide, violet eyes.

" _How could it be?! He looks almost exactly like Heba!"_ Kaiba screamed to himself, and he just stared at the child who looked at him with a tiny smile with a ray of hope caught in his eyes. Clenching his fists, Kaiba turned around to look at Grandpa who gazed at him sternly.

"You said that Yami was still here. Then tell me, where is he?" Kaiba said, and he stared into Grandpa's eyes and watched as the man crossed his arms.

"Do you actually care about him?" Grandpa asked, and the question caused Kaiba to growl.

"Of course I do," he grounded out. "If I didn't I wouldn't be here. Now tell me. Where is he? If I find out that you were lying to me, I'll make sure you never live in this country again."

Yugi on the other hand grinned at Kaiba's response, ignoring his threat, and didn't hesitate to run up to the man and leaving a stunned Yami in his same position. Yami stared from the top of the stairs with wide, shocked eyes, not expecting the response from Seto at all.

"Do you really still care about Yami?" Yugi asked, grabbing on to Kaiba's pant leg, and he looked deeply into the man's blue eyes when he looked down at him. He was right. Seto still cared about Yami. Now it was time for Yami to see that, and Yugi almost cried with joy as he saw the small nod from the older man.

"Yes, I do," Kaiba admitted softly, his eyes warming at the sight of Yugi. "Do you know where he is?" he then asked, and his gaze followed Yugi's arm as he pointed to the top of the stairs.

Seeing Yugi directing Seto's gaze towards him, Yami hurriedly stood up and took a step back, his nerves rising as he saw Kaiba take steps closer towards him.

"Yami, come down!" Yugi called, running half-way up the stairs while Kaiba paused a few steps away from the base. "He cares about you. I told you! I told you! He does care!" Yugi cried, and Yami felt tears well up in his eyes. He shook his head, clenching his eyes shut.

"Yami, please! Come down!" Yugi begged again, but Yami stayed still. Frowning, Yugi turned to look at Kaiba who was looking at the spot where Yami was standing curiously.

"Where is he?" Kaiba asked, and Yugi pointed again.

"He's standing there, next to the wall. He doesn't want to come down, it seems."

"You can see him?" Kaiba asked in astonishment, and Yugi nodded.

"You can see him too, but Yami has to make himself visible to you first."

"Doesn't he want to come down?" he asked softly, and Yugi bit his lip. "If he doesn't want to meet me, then fine. I understand," and Kaiba took a step back.

"Wait," Yugi said, and as Kaiba looked up at him, the young boy ran up the stairs and stood in front of Yami. The spirit was crying silently, eyes locked on the ground as no doubt tons of thoughts and questions swarmed his mind.

"Yami, please, come down and meet him," Yugi pleaded, and he watched as Yami clenched his eyes shut.

Yami just couldn't understand why Seto was there. He had to be lying. He probably didn't mean anything he was saying. It was just all an act. It had to be. Seto didn't care about him. He didn't care about Heba, or his mom. So why was he here to torture him? He was already dead. What else did he want from him?! He just couldn't understand it all. Seto looked so sincere, but, but what if it wasn't true? He would be left alone all over again and he didn't want that to happen. He won't believe him, but…

"Yami, snap out of it," Yugi shouted, and Yami looked up at him with teary eyes. "Seto isn't lying. He really cares about you. I can see it in his eyes," Yugi said, and Yami just looked on. "You have to believe me. You can tell when someone is lying or not, so why don't you go down there and look into his eyes for yourself. You'll know."

Yami stared at the boy, but didn't reply. Seeing that Yami wasn't going to make up his mind, Yugi decided for him. He grabbed the spirit's right wrist, and began to pull him towards and down the stairs. Yami didn't fight, and allowed himself to be pulled. If he couldn't decide, then he would have to leave the decision making to someone who had a sense of direction.

Kaiba on the other hand could tell what was happening even though he couldn't see Yami. Yugi was apparently dragging Yami down to meet him since it seemed he was holding someone's hands, but he didn't want Yami to be forced to meet him. He then stilled, a cold sensation teasing his form the closer Yugi came down, and once Yugi was standing right before him, Kaiba felt as if he was standing in a freezer.

Yami looked up at Seto who was now right in front of him, and stayed silent. He could tell that Seto sensed his presence because he had made at least that much known about himself. He looked into Seto's wide eyes, and he gulped. He couldn't tell what was in them. They looked so confused, and so worried, yet so angry at the same time. Unsure of what to make of it and unable to read his brother's eyes, Yami took a step back once again only to stop when Yugi held him tightly so that he wouldn't go anywhere. He turned into a statue when his name fell from Seto's lips.

"Yami..." Kaiba called out softly, and Yami clenched his eyes shut, hoping that the blue eyed man would disappear.

"Yami, I know you're here," Kaiba said again. "I'm sorry."

"No you're not!" Yami shouted before he could stop himself, and a hand covered his mouth when he realised what he had just done. He hoped that Seto didn't hear him, but looking up at the man he saw his surprised eyes.

"Yami?" Kaiba asked again, and feeling Yugi let go of his hand, Yami sighed in defeat knowing he had to face him. He closed his eyes and made himself appear.

Kaiba looked as shimmering lights appeared before him, and he stared in awe as a form began to take shape. Soon, Yami stood before him, the same way he was the day they had left all those years ago.

"You're not sorry, Seto," Yami said slowly, and he looked at Kaiba who gasped.

" _Crimson eyes! Just like the stories..."_ he thought, only to push that aside and sigh, looking at Yami regretfully. "Yami. I really am, truly sorry. I'm sorry for everything. I'm sorry for what happened to mom and Heba. I'm sorry for letting everything get out of control," Kaiba said all in one breath as he looked at Yami with saddened eyes.

Yami held his tears back as he looked at Kaiba's face, looking to see if what he was saying is true, or just another lie. He tried his hardest to tell the truth from the lie, but he still couldn't tell them apart.

"Why did you go?" he sniffed, his emotions getting the best of him. "Why did you stop caring?"

Kaiba looked to the ground at Yami's question. "I never stopped caring, Yami. I was there, always trying to help-"

"Liar!" Yami cried, and he stepped back.

"Yami, please. Hear me out," Kaiba pleaded, and he looked at Yami who was breathing hard as energy ran through his system.

Yami kept quiet though, and just listen to what his brother had to say to defend and explain himself for abandoning them.

"Remember the day I called you. I was wondering if you were okay. You didn't tell me that mom died. I didn't know-"

"Don't blame me for that! You should have called more instead of once every two years!" Yami exclaimed.

"I'm not blaming you," Kaiba said. "I know, I should have called more. And I regret that. I was so busy and I didn't have time. My father, Gozoburo-"

"Like always," Yami said before he could finish, and Kaiba frowned.

"I told you that dad was coming to take you all with him."

Yami said nothing.

"Yes, it's true. I went along with that one hoping you all would agree and we could go back to being a happy family, but to know mom died a few months before we arrived, was the last thing I expected."

Yami stared at the floor, his gaze lingering elsewhere as he refused to look at Kaiba.

"I was upset when I heard about it. I was even more when dad decided to take Heba away. It all happened to fast before I was able to process what was happening. Before I knew it, dad was dragging me out as I looked at your fear stricken face. Once outside I questioned what he was doing. I told him that it was wrong. I tried to reason with him, Yami. I truly tried. But with Heba screaming for you, he ignored me."

 _\- Flashback -_

 _"Yami! Yami!" Heba screamed, tears running down his face as he was ripped away from his brother and taken outside and towards the car by his father._

 _"Dad, what are you doing?!" Seto exclaimed, pulling his wrist away from the strong hold the man had on him._

 _"I'm doing what needs to be done. If that brat wants to stay there, he can! Now, come along, Seto!" Gozoburo yelled, and he began to walk towards the black car once again._

 _"No!" Seto shouted. "What you're doing is wrong. We can't just leave Yami there alone, and taking Heba away is wrong as well!" Seto cried out. "Mom is gone, he's all alone, and don't you even care?!"_

 _"No. I don't care," Gozoburo replied coldly, and he opened the door and shove the screaming Heba inside. "What I'm doing is absolutely correct. Heba is my son and I will decide what's going to happen."_

 _"Then I'll stay with Yami," Seto said, and he clenched his hands into fists and glared up at the man._

 _Gozoburo stopped and shot daggers at Seto. "Don't be foolish, Seto!" he exclaimed, but seeing Seto's determined face, Gozoburo grabbed his hand and pushed him into the car with Heba before going to the driver's seat._

 _"Trust me Seto. It's the only way," Gozoburo said once more, and he started the car and they began to roll away._

 _Seto however stared at the building sadly, looking for any signs of Yami before the car sped off. He held Heba tightly, vowing to protect him and return very soon._

 _\- Flashback End -_

They were all silent, Yami staring up at Kaiba as he began to explain his side of the story once again.

"After months of pleading and doing whatever he asked, I finally convinced my father to get me and Heba flights to see you. Heba was so excited. He wouldn't stop talking about you. But once we got there, we were met with something else..."

 _\- Flashback -_

 _"Seto! Are we really gonna see Yami!" Heba cried, bouncing up and down on the car seat._

 _"Yeah! Just wait until he sees you," Seto said smiling. "He'll be so happy!"_

 _"Would he come back with us?" Heba asked softly._

 _Seto ruffled his hair. "I hope so."_

 _All was silent as they got to the house, and as soon as Seto stepped out if the car, he wrinkled his nose at the awful smell._

 _"Seto... What is that!?" Heba said, covering his face his hands as he looked around the lawn, his eyes falling on the front door._

 _Seto shrugged, his face twisting into disgust as the smell got worse. "I don't know, but I'm just hoping that Yami hasn't tried cooking again..." and at that Heba giggled._

 _Walking up to the door, Seto began having second thoughts about the smell. It didn't smell like food at all, but in fact, like rotting corpse. Knowing that, nervousness crept into his mind and he began to sweat out of fear of what he nay see inside. Heba on the other hand wasn't aware of any of this, and just pushed the doors open with his dear brother's name at the tip of his tongue._

 _"Yami-" Heba stopped midsentence, and as Seto stepped in he stared at the body in front of them. Open, sunken eyes, blood on the floor, the body extremely pale, taking a green colour as it laid on the floor, the once wild and bright hair now just a faded, limp mess._

 _Seto felt a bile rising up his throat. Unable to take much more, he grabbed the stunned Heba and ran out the door, slamming it shut behind him and getting as far away as possible- for Heba's sake._

 _"No, no this, this can't be happening, oh god!" Seto said to himself as he dropped to the ground and threw up his lunch and everything else he had ate on their journey. Heba on the other hand was silent, standing still, his unblinking eyes locked on the ground._

 _Seto took a deep breath before he wiped the sick away from his mouth, then pulled out his cell phone as he pulled the unresponsive Heba into an embrace, brushing his back and his hair in an attempt to calm him, if that was even possible by now._

 _"Hello, I-I need an ambulance. Right away," and at those words, it didn't take more than a week until he was standing off in the distance under the shade of a tree, watching as Yami's body was lowered into the ground. Only a few people turned up for his funeral. Some of them were friends he had made, but that was it. He stood there with Heba who continued to remain silent for the few days._

 _Seto punched a tree in rage as the people left and as the sun began to set. "The day we left. He's been like that ever since!" A tear ran down his eye as he picked Heba up and walked away after everyone left, the doctor's words lingering in his mind for a very long while to come._

 _\- Flashback End -_

"I locked the door that day and left. I didn't return to it because I was too scared, and ashamed of what I've done. What I let happened without putting up more of a fight than I should have," Seto said, his head bowed.

Yami stood silently, fidgeting as he held in sobs that were trying to break free.

"I eventually caught whiff of the rumors that began spreading not long after that incident. Apparently your ghost haunted the house ever since, but I refused to believe it. So I guess I'm wrong once again, huh?" Kaiba said, trying to get a smile on Yami's face, but to no avail. Instead, tears were slipping through his eyes and he watched as Yami wiped them away quickly.

"What really happened to Heba?" Yami asked softly, and he didn't allow his eyes to stare up into his brother's.

Kaiba frowned. "Heba..." he hesitated.

"I know he's dead, so just tell me how!" Yami shouted loudly, his eyes blazing with fire as he stared into Kaiba's sapphire ones.

Kaiba looked at Yami uncomfortably. "H-How did you know?"

"He came to me before he moved on," Yami said, and he looked at Kaiba intensely. Seeing the murderous gaze, Kaiba nodded.

"He died in an accident."

"I know that, but how? Why?!" Yami snapped, and Kaiba explained.

 _\- Flashback -_

 _"Heba, hey c'mon. Snap out of it," Seto said, waving his hand in front of the quiet child seated on the couch before him that dark, rainy night. Seeing no response, he sighed for the millionth time, unable to break through to the boy._

 _"Why won't Yami come back?" Heba asked once again, and it was one of the only things he asked about for the past few weeks, ever since they had returned from Domino._

 _"He-he's gone..." Seto answered again, and he clenched his eyes shut out of pain when he heard Heba's words._

 _"No he's not!" Heba shouted, tears building up as he burrowed into Seto's shirt. "He's not gone! Why won't you take me to him?! Why won't he come back?!" he yelled, crying. Seto shushed him, rubbing his back as he tried to calm the child who sobbed into his shirt._

 _Lightening was heard through the windows as the rain continued to pour down, and as Gozoburo walked past the fine staircase to head up to his office, he stopped and stared at the sniveling child in Seto's arms._

 _"Again?!" Gozoburo exclaimed, anger building up, and he marched over to Seto and Heba. Seto saw him coming and held Heba tighter in his arms._

 _"Just leave him alone, dad," Seto said, and he stood up and wrapped his arms tighter around Heba to protect him._

 _Gozoburo stopped and stared in shock, only to shrug Kaiba off and grab Heba off the chair only to drop him on the floor. Heba cried harder and Seto ran up to him, hugging tightly._

 _"Your brother is dead! Understand kid! Gone! Dead! Deceased!" Gozoburo yelled, and Heba screamed even louder._

 _"What's wrong with you!?" Seto yelled angrily._

 _"I'm trying to make him understand. Yami is dead! Get over it!" he yelled again. "No son of mine shall act this way! Understand_ _?"_

 _"No he's not!" Heba cried out from the base of the couch, looking up at the man towering above him, and immediately the man responded._

 _SLAP_

 _Seto stared wide-eye as Gozoburo struck Heba. Heba was still with shock, and then suddenly he took one look at Seto before getting up and running out the front door before anyone could stop him._

 _"Look at what you've done," Seto exclaimed to his father before rushing outside after Heba, the rain still pouring heavily as he searched for the boy. Running out on to the street, he squinted his eyes to see through the heavy rain, only to finally spot him running down the street. He took off after him, splashing through puddles as he ran, his clothes absolutely soaked._

 _"Heba! Wait!" he yelled, but Heba continued to run, not caring where he was going as tears coursed down his face._

 _Seto began to panic when he saw Heba run into the road._

 _"HEBA! Get away!" he screamed, but Heba didn't hear him. His eyes widened as he saw two bright lights going straight for the child. Then, a cry was heard, tires screeched, and voices erupted. Seto dropped to his knees in shock, unable to remove his eyes from the small body that laid crumpled on the road._

 _"Not again... Not again," he said to himself, and he fell to the ground, the pain in his heart growing and turning numb, and cold._

 _\- Flashback End -_

Yami stared at Kaiba with wide, fearful, and shocked eyes that held tears.

"Yami, I'm sorry... But just like always, I was late yet again," Kaiba said. "I'm so sorry, but you have to believe me. I never stopped caring about you two. I always did, and I was never able to forgive myself for letting you two go away from me. And, I'll understand if you don't ever forgive me. If I were you, I wouldn't have forgiven myself either. But, I never stopped caring. Never," Kaiba said sadly, and he looked to the ground, not wanting to let anyone see his eyes filled with regretful tears.

Suddenly, his head shot up when he felt cold, freezing arms wrap around him. Opening his eyes, they shot open when he saw Yami hugging him tightly. Yami sobbed as he hugged him, burying his head into Kaiba's shoulders as he cried all the tears he had tried to hold in for the past four years.

"I forgive you Seto," he said. "You tried, that's all that matters," Yami said through sobs. "I forgive you, and I'm sorry for blaming you. You do care. You care a lot," and he hugged the man tighter.

Kaiba smiled, wrapping his arms around Yami as well. "Thank you." And as those words left his mouth, something caught his attention just a short moment later. Looking down at the person crying happily in his arms, he saw a white, soft glow surround him.

"Yami, you're glowing," Kaiba said, and as Yami pulled away, he watched as his little brother looked down at himself before slowly looking up at him with wide eyes.

* * *

 **And there! Hope you all don't kill me! More sadness continues next chapter, and it's not because it's the last. Review please!**

 **Bye~**


	20. Chapter 20

**Hey everyone. You know what this is. This is the last chapter of this amazing story. I seriously had a blast writing it for you all and I'm glad all of you loved it. Now enjoy the last chapter! :')**

 **Sequel will be discussed at the end.**

* * *

The Ghost of Yami Atem

Chapter 20

* * *

Yami's eyes widened as he looked down at himself while holding on to Kaiba's shoulder. "What-what's going on?" he exclaimed, looking at his brother as the soft, white glow got more intense. "Seto, what's happening to me?"

Kaiba looked at him with wide eyes of his own. "I-I don't know..." he trailed off.

Grandpa however understood what was happening. He smiled as the light around Yami glowed brighter. "He's finally moving on," he said, and it was then when reality crashed down on Yugi. The boy's eyes shot open with surprise, and his head snapped back towards Yami fearfully.

"What?!" he shouted, and he looked at Yami who was slowly shimmering. "No, no, no," Yugi said to himself, his eyes beginning to tear up quickly.

Sensing Yugi staring at him, Yami looked towards him to see the fear and anguish written on his face. Yami frowned, realising that he wouldn't ever get to see Yugi again since he was finally moving on. His eyes dropped down to his hands that were turning back to their rich tan colour, and as he slowly closed his eyes and reopened them, he revealed his gorgeous purple eyes.

"No! Yami you can't leave!" Yugi cried out before running towards Yami and grabbing him into a tight hug. Yami kneeled down and took the boy into his arms before pulling away and gazing into his eyes. He wiped the tears that fell from the young boy's face and smiled softly only to embrace him once more.

"Don't cry, Yugi. Please," Yami said sadly, but Yugi continued to cry.

"You-You can't leave me!" Yugi cried out, tears falling freely, and at that the sad frown returned to Yami's face.

"I'll never leave you, Yugi. I'll always be here, in your heart," Yami said, bringing his hand up to rest it against Yugi's heart. "I won't stop existing to you. You will remember me."

"But I don't want you to leave," Yugi said, wiping the tears away as he looked up into Yami's eyes. "I want you to stay here and play with me, and make me laugh, and just be there with me. I want to talk to you, Yami! You can't leave! I'll be alone…"

Yami held in tears and grabbed Yugi into a tighter hug, his tears falling anyways. There was nothing he could say that would make the child feel better. He just hugged him one last time, feeling his soul get lighter.

"I'll always be there with you," Yami repeated, holding him tightly. Knowing that he had to step in, Grandpa walked up to them and held Yugi tightly as Yami managed to pull himself away and step back even though his heart screamed at him. He turned to Kaiba and hugged him once again before pulling away.

"Goodbye Seto," Yami said, "And thank you." And he watched as Kaiba gave a small, sad smile just in time for a bright light to shine above of them.

Even though the others couldn't see the bright light, Yami did, and he looked up to see a small, tri-coloured head poke out from inside it. Tanned skin, a bright smile, and big purple eyes were the first thing Yami saw. A small hand then came out, beckoning Yami towards him.

"C'mon Yami! Mom's waiting for you," the boy called, and Yami smiled.

"Heba..." he said softly, and Heba nodded.

Turning back to the people in front of him, Yami looked at Yugi once last time, his heart clenching as he saw the boy wriggling in his grandfather's arms, trying to break free as tears ran down his cheeks. Smiling sadly, Yami wiped a tear with his finger and then pointed at Yugi. Yugi did the same sadly, and watched as Yami waved and smiled one last time, his form glowing brightly as he stepped away. His body broke up into tiny sparkles, floating up towards Heba and stopping at the shimmering doorway before reappearing at the top. Yami smiled one last time down at them before stepping through the doorway with Heba right beside him. Everyone watched silently as the bright light that signified Yami dimmed, and then disappeared.

As Grandpa's hold slackened after seeing Yami finally gone, Yugi was able to break away from his hold and ran up to the spot where Yami once stood.

"YAMI!" he screamed, crying furiously. "No, come back!" he yelled, sobs erupting through his body, and he dropped to his knees and cried. "Come back!" he yelled again, staring up at the ceiling. "You can't leave me!" he sobbed.

Grandpa ran over to him and pulled him into a hug, while Kaiba stood and watched the two on the ground. The CEO stared up at the ceiling one last time, and smiled sadly. Shaking his head, he silently turned around, and left.

Noticing that he had gone, Grandpa turned back to the crying Yugi and rubbed his back soothingly. "Thank you," he whispered to Kaiba, listening as Yugi sobs continued to resonate throughout the living room.

* * *

Epilogue~

The wind blew softly across the night sky, and the stars twinkled brighter than they have ever before. Yugi sat on the balcony in the very same spot he and Yami had sat before, and stared up at the stars with a sad smile. He was still torn about the fact that Yami was now gone, but after he had calmed down, he knew that he at least still had the memories. He still had Yami in his mind, and he was just glad that he had met the spirit who would remain to be his closest friend in the entire world.

From the corner of his eyes, a bright star suddenly caught his eyes, and at the sight of it a memory resurfaced.

 _\- Flashback -_

 _"You miss them, don't you?" Yami asked, even if the answer was pretty obvious from Yugi's teary eyes._

 _"Yeah," Yugi replied, and he sniffled._

 _"Well don't be sad, they're always there with you, in your heart," Yami said softly. He then looked up into the sky. "See those stars," he began, pointing into the sky. "When a person dies, they become a star. Always looking down to see you if you're doing okay. When you look up at night, you see them. And you know your loved ones are right there. Like another memory," Yami explained._

 _Yugi looked up at the stars. "How do you know which one is them?" he asked._

 _"Because it would be the one that shines the brightest," Yami said, smiling._

 _\- Flashback End-_

Yugi smiled. "Goodbye Yami. I'll miss you, but I know you'll always be there," he said, glancing up into the sky, and he gasped slightly and stared wondrously as Yami's face merged with the stars for a quick second before disappearing. Yugi smiled brightly, and clenched his pant leg to calm his beating heart that had sped up.

Yami was watching over him. He was never far away, and closer to him than he realised. He was right there in his heart, and he won't ever forget that. Yami was happy now. He found peace and was now with his family that loves him a lot. He missed them for too long, so Yugi had to let him be happy. That was what mattered.

Yugi grinned and took one last look at the stars before standing and walking back into his home where the ghost of Yami Atem had once lived, died, and became a little boy's dearest friend before passing on into the sky, forever.

* * *

 ***sob sob* It was hard writing this chapter. Made me cry... But, I'm glad that it is over. I really enjoyed going through this again, and I want to thank you all for being so supportive and patient with me while I redid this.**

 **As for a sequel, I have to apologise. I will not be writing/uploading the sequel to this. I have given it a lot of thought, and I just won't be able to write it. I have way too many other fanfics planned, and I know that I won't be able to stick to the sequel. I've posted only four chapters the first time, and it wasn't as great as I wanted it to be, plus I don't want to drag the story on more than it should. Even in the sequel, the ending is the same as this. Yami leaves Yugi forever. I'm sorry again. I do hope you all understand.**

 **So, until next time…**

 **Bye~**


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